Mixed Feelings
by Super Chocolate Bear
Summary: With Optimus Prime's return, change is once again on the horizon for both the Autobots and the Decepticons. Some people don't like change.
1. The Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of the characters involved in this story.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter One: The Reunion**_

_It's a bad day for damage control._

Jazz sat down on a large rock and exhaled loudly from his exhaust. He was officially, completely, totally and utterly ready to collapse into his next regeneration cycle. He felt as though he was about to. His self pitying musings were interrupted by a datapad being thrust in front of his optics. He was glad that his visor hid the tired look in said optics. He looked up and gave a tired smile to Hound, who looked equally exhausted.

"For me? You shouldn't have," he joked, taking the datapad from Hound and trying desperately to fight past his fatigue to read it. Hound chuckled quietly, and Jazz frowned at what he saw in the report. He looked back up at Hound and sighed. "How much longer?"

Hound's easy smile faded as he also sighed. "Another week."

Jazz's head fell and he closed his optics, letting out another loud breath through his exhaust. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, something he had unconsciously picked up by spending too much time with Spike. Jazz shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. "All right, let's get back to work."

They had been working to rebuild the Earth's cities from the destruction they suffered from their Hate Plague infected inhabitants. It wasn't a small job by any means, but the Autobots had said that they were up to the task, and so, here they were. It seemed to be all that Optimus Prime's old crew would do these days; ever since Rodimus Prime took charge, they had seen less and less front line action, being relegated to patrols, repairs, damage control and such. Not that Jazz minded. After Autobot City was destroyed in 2005, very few of Optimus' old crew wished to remain on the front line, though from what Jazz had heard, it wasn't much of a war anymore.

Jazz gestured to a large piece of rubble blocking a river, and Hound nodded. Jazz was surprised that it hadn't already been moved by one of the larger Autobots like Inferno or Grapple. However, this wasn't a very strict operation, and Jazz had told them that they should simply help where needed. Someone was most likely about to move it when he was called away to help someone else. Jazz gripped one end, and Hound the other. They were about to lift when a high pitched beeping emerged from Hound's shoulder, prompting him to look at Jazz for approval. Jazz nodded and let go of the piece of rubble, and leaned against it and enjoyed the brief period of relaxation.

Hound pushed a button on his arm and a small monitor came forth.

"This is the repair crew," he said, putting on the 'official' voice that Jazz rarely heard. A vaguely familiar voice came from the monitor.

"Hey, Hound! How're you doing?"

Hounds' gently features scrunched slightly in confusion. "Do I know you?"

"It's me! Bumblebee!"

Jazz sat up and walked over to Hound, allowing him to peek over Hounds' shoulder and into the monitor. He saw a medium build golden Autobot, with a blue head unit and a sparkling silver face plate. His optics were hidden by a visor just as Jazz's were. The Autobot looked at Jazz and waved.

"Hey, Jazz! What's up?"

"Uh… not much."

"Are you sure you're name's Bumblebee?" Hound interjected.

The golden 'Bot nodded. "Yep. Well, it used to be; I was rebuilt during the 'Hate Plague' thing."

Jazz nodded, impressed. "It's a good look for you, m'man. To what do we owe the pleasure, Bumblebee?"

"It's Goldbug now."

"'Goldbug'? Who came up with that?"

Jazz could see the grin emerge from behind Goldbugs' faceplate. "Well, it was… you'll see."

"What? Was someone else rebuilt?" Jazz smirked. "Was it Blaster? I bet he's all blue now, huh?"

Goldbug shook his head. "Nope. It… look, I really want to surprise you guys, so… just wait and see. We're heading over to you guys now. We should be there in about an hour."

Jazz nodded. "Okay, 'Goldbug'," he said, smiling.

Goldbug laughed. "See you then guys. Goldbug out." He reached forward and pushed a button in front of him, and Goldbugs' image winked out. Hound shut down the comm unit and looked to Jazz.

"Well… that was interesting."

"You got that right," Jazz said, gripping one end of the rubble while Hound gripped the other. If he did nothing else today, he would move this piece of rubble.

"Who do you suppose it is?" Hound said, grunting with effort as he lifted with Jazz.

"Don't know. I'm sticking to my Blaster theory. He's probably been rebuilt to look like Cliffjumper."

Hound let out a bark of laughter and dropped the piece of rubble on his foot. Jazz could have sworn he heard Hound mutter some very un-Hound-like curses, and he smiled. "Sorry about that. C'mon man, let's get this out of the way, then we can go tell the others."

Hound nodded, and they moved the rubble with ease.

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"So… where are they?" Cliffjumper said, his arms and legs crossed as he sat on the floor. "Some of us have work to do, you know."

"Calm down, Cliffjumper. I'm sure Jazz wouldn't have gathered us here if Bumblebee didn't have something important to show us," Hoist put in, and Jazz began to hope that it _was _something more significant than Blaster getting a redesign. He didn't need a whole host of angry Autobots coming down on him for wasting their time. But then again, it's not like he hadn't done that a lot on the Ark. But then again, he was the Special Operations Officer on the Ark. Now he was just head of the repair crew.

"There!" Bluestreak said excitedly, and Jazz couldn't blame him. It had been a long time since something interesting had happened to them (Hate Plague aside; Jazz still couldn't remember anything he had done while he was infected), and it had been even longer since they'd seen Bumblebee. The shuttle slowly set down in front of them, blowing a large plume of dust outwards beneath it. Jazz expected to hear some kind of protest from Sunstreaker, but he was obviously as interested in who was in the shuttle as they all were.

The door to the shuttle opened agonisingly slow, the ramp touching down on the ground after what seemed an eternity. Goldbug was the first to step out, closely followed by Kup. Jazz smiled at the sight of the grizzled old Autobot, remembering the countless times Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Hot Rod had found some way to humiliate both Kup and Ironhide in one fell swoop. Springer helped occasionally too, though he would somehow find a way to weasel out of taking any of the blame.

Everyone shook hands with Kup, exchanging various pleasantries, but Jazz's attention was focused on the young golden Autobot before him.

"You've really gotten tall, m'man. I guess Sunstreaker and Sideswipe won't be able to play 'pass the Bumblebee' anymore, huh?"

Goldbug's grin was evident. "Yeah. Now it'll just be 'pass the Cliffjumper'."

Jazz laughed and Cliffjumper scowled, though he was as happy as any of them to see the young spy again. "You mean 'pass the Gears'," Cliffjumper said with a smirk, and Gears scowled in an almost exact copy of Cliffjumpers' earlier expression. Jazz turned back to Goldbug.

"So, what' this 'big surprise' you got for us?"

Goldbug looked over at Kup, the smiles on their faces increasing Jazz's impatience. "C'mon, don't leave us hangin' like that."

Goldbug's grin grew beneath his faceplate. "Okay." He turned back to the shuttle. "Okay Prime, c'mon out!"

Jazz frowned.

"Prime? He got us all excited for a visit from Rodimus?" Jazz heard Sideswipe whisper, and he couldn't agree more. He stepped towards Goldbug.

"Hey man, I thought for the amount of hype you were building it was gonna be something like… like…" the words became caught in his vocal processor as _he _stepped out of the shuttle. His red chassis glistened in the sunlight, his mighty frame almost totally encompassing the exit to the shuttle. He took slow steps down the ramp, heading towards them with deliberate strides. Jazz still couldn't say anything.

"It's good to see you again," his voice rumbled, though Jazz wasn't sure if he was addressing him specifically or all of the Autobots. Everyone else seemed to be having the same reaction as Jazz. After an agonising silence, Bluestreak couldn't contain his excitement any longer.

"Optimus!" he exploded. "It's… Optimus!"

That pretty accurately described Jazz's state of mind. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, was standing before him, good as new, as if he had never died in the first place. A grin slowly crept across Jazz's face.

"Prime! How… I mean… what…?"

Optimus chuckled slightly. "It's a long story, my friend."

"But you're… back!"

"I'm well aware of that, Jazz," Optimus said dryly, the grin behind his faceplate evident.

Jazz wanted to dance for joy. Optimus Prime was back. Optimus Prime! It was a miracle! Optimus' show of humour seemed to knock the others out of their stupor, and they all rushed forward to greet their old leader. Jazz almost felt sorry for Optimus as he was surrounded by his old friends, all of them shaking his hand or patting his shoulder. Cliffjumper even wrapped himself around his leg, before quickly letting go in embarrassment. At least, Jazz would have felt sorry if he still wasn't completely and utterly overcome with happiness. Damage control didn't seem so bad anymore.

"So… how did it happen?" Bluestreak asked, and the others all voiced their interest in Optimus' return.

Optimus raised a hand to silence them. "I'll explain later; I'm afraid I can't stay for long. I have pressing business to attend to, and a few astro-cycles worth of information to catch up on. I… just wanted to come here and see you all again," he said, his voice becoming enraptured in warmth and kindness as he spoke.

"Anyway, we're throwing a big welcome back party for the big guy later today, so you can ask him then!" Goldbug threw in, and Jazz couldn't help but grin inanely at Optimus' response to the word 'party'.

"That's not…" Optimus looked at the faces of his old crew, his old family, and sighed. "…completely accurate. It's also a party for Goldbug."

Everyone chuckled, and Optimus slowly turned to get back in the shuttle. Jazz walked forward. "Prime, wait."

Optimus turned to look at Jazz, a curious look on his face. "Yes, Jazz?"

Jazz smiled and extended his hand. "Just don't go dyin' on us again. You got me?"

Optimus smiled beneath his faceplate and shook Jazz's hand. "Not if I can help it."

"That's all I ask," Jazz joked, smiling. He backed up off the ramp and watched as Goldbug and Kup joined Optimus on the ship. Optimus remained in the entrance as the ramp came up, finally obscuring their view of Optimus. The shuttle rose off the ground and rocketed away, leaving the Autobots to stare in awe as they followed the shuttle into the horizon. Jazz whirled on his heel to face the others and rubbed his hands together.

"What're we all standin' around for? We got a lot of work to do before the party starts!"

Jazz grinned as the Autobots before him energetically got to work, their energon supplies boosted by Optimus' visit. Jazz turned back to where the shuttle had disappeared into the horizon before getting back to work.

_It's a beautiful day for damage control._

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(A/N: I'm not too sure on Transformer time measurements, but the 'Astro Cycles' bit is meant to mean Optimus' time away – at least two years. If anyone has any handy conversion charts for Transformer time measurements, then by all means e-mail me or post it in a review.

Anyway, You like? You hate? Either way, review!)


	2. A Big Difference

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers or any of the characters in this story.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter Two: A Big Difference**_

Cyclonus tried his utmost to simply stare at the viewscreen ahead of him; he truly did. But something was off on the bridge of the Decepticon ship. And that something was Galvatron, their strangely quiet leader. Cyclonus didn't know what had occurred between him and Optimus Prime in the Autobot base, but Galvatron had remained silent on the subject, not uttering a single word to any Decepticon soldier.

Cyclonus had never seen his leader so quiet when he was online. Perhaps he was seething was so much rage because his arch foe had returned from the dead. Cyclonus nodded to himself, satisfied with that explanation.

That must be it. Of course, it wasn't a _bad _thing that Galvatron was quiet; it was simply unnerving. And Cyclonus knew that the Decepticons were on edge enough without their leader suddenly acting strangely. He allowed a quick glance over his right shoulder and saw that Galvatron was walking around the bridge, his hands clasped behind his back as he observed the activities of the various Decepticons.

Cyclonus' optics widened slightly as he realised that his cannon was not on his arm. Cyclonus turned slowly to look for it, and found it leaning against the command chair in the center of the bridge. He turned back to the viewscreen and frowned. There was most definitely something wrong with their leader. He tensed as he heard Galvatrons' footsteps approaching him from behind.

"Report, Cyclonus."

Cyclonus was surprised by the calmness of his leaders' voice, pausing for a moment. "We are but a few astroseconds from Charr, mighty Galvatron."

Galvatron nodded. "Very well. Inform me when we are about to land."

"Yes, mighty Galvatron."

And with that, Galvatron left, calmly collecting his cannon and leaving the bridge. Cyclonus turned to look at the door through which Galvatron had left, as if staring at the door would yield some clue as to his strange behaviour. One of the Sweeps turned from his workstation.

"All right, what was _that_ about?"

Scourge turned from his workstation placed next to the Sweep. "Beats me. Maybe Optimus Prime hit him over the head with something."

"That is enough," Cyclonus said, standing to his full height. "There is nothing wrong with mighty Galvatron, nor should we be speculating about him in such a way. There is a perfectly rational explanation for his behaviour; you will see."

Scourge shrugged and turned back to his workstation. "Whatever you say."

Cyclonus sat back down and resumed his station at the helm, looking out into the vastness of space through the viewscreen. He hoped there was a rational explanation.

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Soundwave inspected the weapon with extreme care, remembering what had happened to him the last time he had almost dropped the large orange cannon he now held in his hands. He still felt pain occasionally from the dent in his left arm. He had no idea that Galvatron could kick that high, but there was the painful evidence.

Of course, it never really mattered what Soundwaves' findings were. If the cannon was damaged (clearly from battle) then Galvatron would blame him and attack him. If there was no damage, Galvatron would accuse him of calling his leader a coward and attack him. If he were human, Soundwave would have sighed, reminiscing for the old days of Megatron ruling Cybertron and winning the war.

But he had done that enough since Megatrons' 'death' and Galvatrons' 'birth'. He had repeatedly tried subtly scanning Galvatrons' memory core for any traces of the leader he had once known, and had repeatedly been disappointed by his findings.

When Cyclonus had originally set off to find Galvatron, Soundwave had dared to feel hope once again. Hope that the Decepticons would regain the glory they had once held; that they would become a feared name in the galaxy once again, not the walking joke they were now, thanks to their 'mighty leader' Galvatron. Had his vocal processor allowed it, Soundwave would have sneered.

Galvatron slowly entered and proceeded to look around the room. Soundwave pretended not to notice, but the advantage of having a visor covering ones' optics was the ability to appear to be looking at one thing while observing another. Galvatron never _slowly _entered anywhere. He was always storming off to punish someone or attack a fellow Decepticon.

And on top of that, Galvatron was now leisurely walking around Soundwaves' quarters, inspecting the various holo-images he had there. He stopped at one of him (as Megatron) and the other Decepticons on Cybertron, toasting a victory. He turned towards Soundwave, a smile on his face. But not a smile that Soundwave was used to from Galvatron. Smiles from Galvatron were usually vindictive, and preceded an attack.

But this smile was almost… proud.

"Do you remember that day, Soundwave? One of our greatest victories."

Soundwave remained silent, continuing to pretend to inspect the cannon. He wasn't sure of what to do; if he stopped his work to respond, Galvatron may attack him for not concentrating. If he didn't answer, then he might attack him for not answering him. Galvatron walked towards him.

"Soundwave."

Soundwave cautiously brought his head up to face his leader.

"Have you found anything?" Galvatron asked, indicating the cannon that Soundwave held in his hands.

"No, mighty Galvatron," he responded, glad that his monotone voice didn't betray the caution he was feeling. He prepared himself for the inevitable attack.

"Excellent." Galvatron reached forward and took the cannon, locking it into position on his arm. Soundwave didn't know what to say; he didn't even know what to think. Galvatron turned to leave and stopped at the doorway. "Soundwave."

Soundwave paused before answering. "Yes?"

"We will have those victories again, old friend." He turned to face him, determination written on his features. "I swear it."

And then he was gone. If he were human, Soundwave would have blinked. As it was, he simply remained deathly still as he looked at the door, wondering what had just occurred. Had Galvatron just called him 'old friend'? Ever since his re-emergence as Galvatron, he had never referred to Soundwave as 'old friend', or even acknowledged their past relationship. That fact alone had eliminated all hope that Soundwave had once held of the Decepticons winning the war. But now…

He needed more information. He briefly considered going to Cyclonus with his suspicions, then dismissed the idea in a nanosecond. He would find out for himself if Megatron had returned, at least in mind if not in body.

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Cyclonus cautiously entered Galvatrons' chambers, unsure of what to expect of his leader. He immediately saw the cannon leaning against the wall, and looked around the room to find its' owner. He spotted him looking out over Charr through a viewport, his hands once again clasped behind his back.

Cyclonus had never seen his leader looking so controlled, so… calm. He prepared himself for the worst. Perhaps this was merely the calm before the storm, before Galvatron started blasting and crushing and smashing, screaming treason for their betrayal under the influence of the Hate Plague. Galvatron turned to look at him.

"Ah, Cyclonus. Come in, join me."

Cyclonus paused briefly before walking slowly over to his leader, standing next to him to look out over Charr. There was a silence before Galvatron spoke.

"Such an ugly planet, don't you think?"

Cyclonus remained silent.

"Nothing like the smooth, refined surface of Cybertron. A truly beautiful planet."

Cyclonus was speechless. He couldn't have spoken if he'd wanted to. Galvatron didn't seem to notice, as he continued on, looking out of the viewport as he did so.

"I know what you're thinking, Cyclonus."

Cyclonus turned to look at his leader, becoming very curious as to what was happening to Galvatron. Perhaps the Hate Plague had short circuited something in his main processor. Galvatron continued.

"You're thinking that I have been acting strangely since we returned."

Cyclonus turned to look out of the viewport, suddenly unafraid of what Galvatron would do to him. "Very strangely," he admitted.

Galvatron let out a short burst of laughter. "Indeed, Cyclonus. But I've been acting strangely since you pulled me out of that pool of lava on Thrull, haven't I?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "No, this is not strange that you see before you Cyclonus; it is a return to my old self."

Cyclonus turned to look at his leader once again. "…Mighty Galvatron?"

"The insanity that once plagued my systems, Cyclonus. It is gone."

Cyclonus' optics thinned. "Gone?"

Galvatron nodded.

"But… how?"

"I am unsure, Cyclonus. Ever since I was cured of that 'Hate Plague', I have felt calmer, stronger… stronger than ever before."

Cyclonus contemplatively rubbed his chin. "Perhaps… the Matrix?"

Galvatron looked at him with confusion, which slowly turned to amusement. "How ironic… by using his vaunted Autobot Matrix, Optimus Prime has sealed not only his own doom, but the doom of his entire race…"

Galvatron chuckled and turned back to the viewport. Cyclonus was unsure of what to do. It was as if he were caught in a whirlwind, unable to control anything going on around him. First, the chaos of the Hate Plague, followed by the return of Optimus Prime, and now...

Galvatron suddenly turned from the viewport and walked over to his cannon, fixing it into place on his arm. He pushed a button on a control panel.

"All Decepticons, report to Trypticons' main entrance." He walked to his door and stopped, turning to face Cyclonus.

"Come, Cyclonus; there is much to do."

Cyclonus smiled as he followed. He began to feel pride in being a Decepticon once again. He began to look forward to his next battle with the Autobots… with Ultra Magnus. He began to feel… hope.

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(A/N: So – you peeps enjoy? You peeps hate? Review.)


	3. Changing Opinions

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers or any of the characters in this story.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter Three: Changing Opinions**_

Hot Rod stood back from the proceedings, not wanting to crowd the celebrating Autobots with memories of their old leader, Rodimus. He sipped at his energon, and winced slightly as the taste stung his taste receptors slightly. He looked down at the energon and sniffed it, wondering if it was a bad batch. Looking around the room, he noticed that no-one else seemed to think so.

Optimus wasn't holding an energon cube, but that didn't surprise Hot Rod. As Rodimus, he hadn't had the luxury of being able to relax in such a way. And besides, it looked better to younger Autobots and visiting dignitaries. He looked back down at the energon and realised that it was probably because he hadn't drunk any in a while because of his role as leader.

He looked around the room and saw that there was not one face that didn't have a smile plastered over it. Kup was wildly gesturing in front of Jazz, imitating some sort of spider while Jazz nodded and laughed. Hot Rod hadn't heard the details about what happened while he was… indisposed with the spores, or the 'Hate Plague', but it obviously must have been some kind of adventure.

A further look around the room and Hot Rod spotted Grimlock and the other Dinobots in the corner of the room, their leader leant against the wall in robot mode with his arms crossed, glaring at the back of Optimus' head.

He was obviously quite lukewarm about Optimus' return. Hot Rod had heard the stories about how he hadn't particularly liked Optimus in the early days, fancying himself a better leader. Hot Rod had been worried about that fact when he became leader, but Grimlock had little problem with Rodimus Prime. He never figured out why, and Ultra Magnus thought it would be a bad idea to ask him about it. Rodimus had agreed. Hot Rod, on the other hand…

Hot Rod meandered through the crowd and stood next to the Dinobot leader, leaning against the wall in a similar fashion. He sipped at his energon once again, trying not to show his unpleasant reaction on his face. Grimlock grunted a greeting (at least Hot Rod assumed it was a greeting), and Hot Rod turned his head towards him.

"So… great news about Optimus, huh?"

Grimlock looked over at him, a slight growl thundering from his chestplate. Hot Rod raised his arms in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay... wrong thing to say. Sorry."

They returned to their mutual silence, looking around the room. Hot Rod let his optics wander around the room, finally settling on Arcee, who was laughing with some other femmes, one of whom was wrapped around Inferno. At least, Hot Rod _thought _his name was Inferno. He was always mixing him up with Grapple. Or was that Hoist?

Arcee laughed again, and Hot Rods' optics were once again on her. As he sipped his energon once again, he realised that a door had been opened by Optimus' return. As Rodimus, he hadn't dared to pursue any kind of relationship with Arcee, but now he was Hot Rod again…

He shook his head to remove thought. Arcee was with Springer. It was fairly obvious how they felt about each other, and Hot Rod did value Springer as his friend. In that aspect of his life, he had almost been glad when he became Rodimus Prime – there was no pressure on him to pursue the relationship with Arcee. Hot Rod again shook his head as he realised why he came over to this corner of the room in the first place. He turned towards Grimlock once again.

"Grimlock… can I ask you something?"

"Depends on what it is."

Hot Rod nodded. "Fair enough. It's fairly obvious that you were never… fond of Optimus," he said, choosing his words carefully.

Grimlock snorted in agreement. "Putting it lightly, don't you think?"

Hot Rod smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, well… I was wondering… why didn't you have a problem with me? When I was Rodimus, I mean."

Grimlock paused in thought, taking his optics off Optimus' head to think about it. "Because… you not have head up own rear port."

Hot Rod let out a bark of laughter, and quickly tried to cover it up. "I see…" he said, his snickering causing some heads to turn in his direction, including Optimus. Grimlock didn't move and inch, staring Optimus down. But apparently, Optimus wasn't backing down either. Hot Rod slowly tried to leave the area, but was caught between… what was Spikes' phrase? 'Between Grimlock and a hard place.'

Perceptor, unaware of any such staring contest, came up to Optimus and started chattering to him excitedly about some device he held in his hand. Optimus slowly turned his head back, and the tension instantly disappeared. Hot Rod let out some exhaust he didn't even know he was holding, and patted Grimlock on the shoulder.

"Thanks Grimlock. See you around, huh?"

Grimlock nodded, and Hot Rod turned to leave. He needed something to clear his head. Maybe he could challenge Jazz to a race. Infernos' roaring laughter caused him to turn around in Arcees' direction again, and Hot Rod noticed that something was missing; a certain green Autobot. Hot Rod threw caution to the wind and walked over to them. The laughter died down as they approached, and Arcee waved him over as she spotted him. Hot Rod walked over and stood beside her, and she leaned near his audio receptor.

"Have you seen Springer?"

A puzzled look crossed Hot Rods' face. "I thought you'd know."

Arcee shrugged. "I asked him earlier if he was coming, but he didn't answer."

Hot Rod smiled easily. "I'll go find him."

"Are you sure?" Arcee asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah. It's not like I've got a whole lot to do here, right?"

Arcee smiled. "Thank you, Hot Rod."

Hot Rod left and emptied his cube of energon, placing it on a table top before leaving through the automatic doors. The usual bright orange sheen of Metroplex' innards was darker during the night (it was to help the humans who worked there to sleep more easily).

Hot Rod walked down the corridor slowly, in no particular hurry. He turned the corner, heading to Springers' quarters and stopped short when he found the large green Autobot leaning against the wall in the darkness, a cube of energon in his hand. He raised his head and smiled his usual lopsided Springer smile, beckoning him over.

"Hey, kid. Grab some wall."

Hot Rod did so and crossed his arms, leaning his head against the wall so he was looking at the ceiling.

"Arcee sent you, right?" Springer said, emptying his energon cube.

"She was wondering where you were. I volunteered to find you."

Springer smiled again, filling his energon cube once again from a container that Hot Rod could only assume was from his vaunted private collection. He held it up to Hot Rod.

"You want some?"

Hot Rod thought it over. Springer didn't seem overcharged, but this was definitely not normal Springer behaviour. You usually couldn't keep him away from parties (Hot Rod remembered trying when it was a surprise party for Springer), and hanging around in the dark with a container of old energon was not something he usually enjoyed.

But he did enjoy the occasional quiet drink; although this was only with those he considered his peers or friends. Before the he became Rodimus, Springer hadn't even considered offering a drink to him (whether it was because he didn't like him, or because he didn't think he was old enough, Hot Rod didn't know).

As it was, Hot Rod couldn't help the small amount of pride he felt that Springer was offering him some of his energon. So, Hot Rod took the container. Springer put a finger up.

"Ah-ah," he smiled, pulling out a cube from somewhere behind him. "Such atrocious manners for an ex-leader," he said, taking the container from him and filling the cube with energon.

'Ex-leader'. The words echoed in Hot Rods' mind like bad energon on his taste receptors. And he couldn't help but wonder why. He shook the thought from his head, taking a swig of the energon. He winced and gasped as his taste receptors were set on fire. Springer chuckled.

"Too strong?"

Hot Rod shook his head. "Nah," he gasped, staring at the cube. "What is this stuff?"

"That, my friend, is specially processed Springer energon. Takes a while to make it, but it's worth the wait."

Hot Rod nodded in approval. "S'pretty good," he said, his voice rising slightly as his voice processor compensated for the sudden infusion of such raw energon.

Springer grinned, and then it faded slightly. "Arcee isn't too worried, is she?"

Hot Rod shook his head. "Nah. It was more of a curious 'have you seen Springer?' than a worried 'have you seen Springer?' And it wasn't an angry 'where's Springer!' either."

Springer laughed as Hot Rod changed his voice to imitate Arcees' different moods. "You know that femme too well, kid."

"Maybe," Hot Rod said, shrugging. He took another swig of energon, and found that he was adapting. This time he only winced. "Incidentally, why _aren't_ you at the party with Arcee? She was looking kind of lonely talking to Inferno and… uh… his femme."

Springer put a hand over his optics. "Inferno… are you sure?"

Hot Rod nodded, feeling his inertial stabilisers fail slightly as he did so. He was glad he was leant against the wall, because he probably would have stumbled if he was standing. "Think so… big red guy, laughs like an overcharged Grimlock?"

Springer sighed. "That's him."

"What? You don't like him?"

Springer frowned. "He's okay."

Hot Rod gave him a 'yeah right' look and Springer relented.

"No, not really. But Arcee doesn't hear about this, you got me kid? She happens to like him for some reason."

"Is that why you're not at the party?"

Springer looked ready to say something but then stopped when he heard the familiar voices of Jazz and Kup coming around the corner.

"And of course, Rodimus wanted nothing to do with it…"

Jazz laughed. "Yeah, Optimus was the same-" he stopped as he spotted Springer, and a smile spread across his face. "Hey, Springer, man! Where've you been?"

He came forward and shook hands enthusiastically with Springer, who grinned in response. "Just enjoying a little tipple with Hot Rod here."

Jazz looked at Hot Rod. "He's been feedin' you his special energon?"

Hot Rod was about to nod when he saw the scowl on Kups' face. It quickly subsided, and Kup burst into laughter. "Dammit, I can't keep my face straight after your energon, Jazz."

Springer pointed to Kup with his thumb. "You've been giving him _your_ special energon?"

Jazz grinned and nodded. "Hey, I've got a reputation to uphold. I've gotten every Autobot in the army overcharged on my energon at least once."

Hot Rod frowned, though he was grinning at the same time. He wondered if it was the energon that was making him smile all the time. "So you've even got Optimus overcharged?" Hot Rod smiled at the image of Optimus stumbling around singing 'My Sub-Processor's Swimming in the Lake'. He loved that song.

Jazz shook his head sadly. "Nope – that damn faceplate gets in the way. I got Ultra Magnus, though. But my biggest accomplishment was Prowl. It cost me a fortune, but I got him."

Springer laughed. "Ah, that was a good night. So, how about an encore? Are you guys up to it?" he said, gesturing to Kup and Hot Rod. Kup shook his head.

"Oh no. There's no way you're getting me to make a fool of myself. Ironhide _told _me the things you made him do while he was overcharged."

Jazz and Springer snickered, and Hot Rod joined in, though he wasn't sure what was funny. Kup gestured at him. "And leave the lad out of this. He's too young for what you two like to drink."

Jazz held up his hands. "Okay, first of all: we never _made _Ironhide do any of that stuff; some of it he insisted he do, which was pretty disturbing, let me tell you. And second: Hot Rod can handle it. He was the leader of the Autobots! I think he can handle the stuff that little ol' me an' Springer intake."

Kup sighed and shook his head. He looked over at Hot Rod. "So, lad?"

Hot Rod looked from one to the other. He looked over at Kup. "I can handle it."

Springer and Jazz cheered.

"All right, let's go. My place or yours?" Jazz asked, and Springer patted himself in the chestplate.

"Mine's closer. I don't even know where you live."

"Hey, that's repair crew discrimination, and I resent it."

Hot Rod followed, ignoring the sighing Kup as he turned to go back to the party to tell Arcee what her sweetheart was up to. Hot Rod imagined how annoyed she would be with Springer and snickered.

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"Now, you see… this is great."

That night had been nowhere near as insane as Hot Rod thought it would have been. Once his body had adapted to the energon, it only brought about a sense of supreme relaxation. Of course, he couldn't stand up, but who wanted to stand up and walk about anyway? Walking was stupid, in Hot Rods' opinion.

As he stared at the ceiling tiles, he wondered if he could transform like this. The thought made him queasy. At least, he _thought _the feeling was queasy. From what humans had told him, queasy sounded right. And besides, the word itself just fit. He looked over at the other two occupants of the room, who were both overcharged.

Hot Rod smiled as he realised that he was the only one who hadn't been knocked semi functional by Springers' drink.

"What are you so happy about, kid?"

Hot Rod turned towards him and smiled. "'Cause you two are so…" Hot Rod paused for a moment to find the right word. "Blaaaah, and I'm so… Hmmmm," he said, making a humming noise.

Jazz laughed. "Right. Well, I've gotta be goin'. Headin' back to Cybertron with Prime early in the mornin'.

Springer frowned slightly, then extended his hand. "Good to see you again, Jazz. We'll get Kup next time."

"You know it," Jazz said, nodding at Hot Rod before he left. "See you later, 'Rod."

"You know it," Hot Rod said, trying his best imitate Jazz' voice. Jazz laughed and left. Springer looked over at him.

"Can you stand up, kid?"

"'Course I can." To prove his point, Hot Rod rocketed to his feet. He quickly grabbed his head and fell back onto the floor where he was sat before. "I just don't feel like it at the moment."

Springer nodded. "Okay. It just so happens I've got a spare recharge port over there, so you can stay here. Just don't make too much noise, okay?"

Hot Rod gave him a thumbs up. "Sure thing. You're a pal."

Springer grinned. "Right."

Hot Rod watched in overcharged fascination as Springer got into his bunk and prepared to start his recharge cycle. Hot Rod was about to do the same, when something occurred to him.

"Say, Springer?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Why _didn't _you go to Optimus' party?"

It sounded funny to Hot Rod to say 'Optimus' party', as if he organised the whole thing. The whole image of Optimus putting up decorations was about as funny as the image of him overcharged. Now, putting up decorations _while _he was overcharged… He was knocked from his overcharged induced daydream by Springers' response.

"It's not important."

"Aww, c'mon."

"It's no big deal."

"Well, if it's no big deal, you can tell me."

Springer sighed. "All right. It's because…" he sighed again. "Do you remember what we did before you became leader, Roddy?"

Hot Rod nodded. "Sure. We fought Shockwave on Cybertron until we came to Earth."

"Right. And, after you became leader…?"

"We stayed on Cybertron and fought the Decepticons. Oh, and the Quintessons. Springer, I don't see what this has to do with-"

"I'm getting to it. Now, what do you suppose will happen now that Optimus is back? Who do you suppose he's going to choose for missions?"

"Well… his old crew, I guess."

"Exactly. And we'll be shunted to the back again, left to guard the Earth while they get all the excitement and action."

Hot Rod frowned. "No, that's not-"

"Weren't you listening to what Jazz said? _He's _going back to Cybertron with Prime tomorrow."

"So what are you saying? That Optimus' crew should be left doing damage control for the rest of their lives?"

"No, I'm just-!" Springer sighed again. "Look, I _know_ it's a stupid and selfish way to look at it, but… I thought that their days were over. It's wrong to think of it that way, but I do. And I got to thinking-"

"It was your turn."

"Exactly. It's not like I love fighting a war, but at least I felt like I was making a difference."

"Well… why don't you talk to Optimus about it?"

Springer snorted. "Are you kidding? I doubt he even knows my name. Slap a Decepticon symbol on me and he'd probably shoot me on sight."

"That's not true. He knows every Autobots' name." Hot Rod's earlier overcharged demeanour had disappeared. He wasn't sure how his systems had managed it, but they seemed to have just pushed it aside, at least for the moment.

"What were you, activated yesterday?"

"What?"

"Earth expression. You _really _think that he knows _every _Autobots name?"

"He knew mine, didn't he? Before I became Rodimus, too."

"That was probably because of the Matrix."

Hot Rod paused before responding, mulling over that possibility. Had Optimus known that he would become leader? Had he known that he would die that day? "You think?" Hot Rod breathed, though Springer was oblivious to his suddenly thoughtful attitude.

"Anyway, doesn't matter. Like I said, kid; it's not important. Now get some recharging done. We've got a busy day of damage control ahead of us tomorrow," Springer said, a hint of bitterness entering the statement.

Hot Rod solemnly activated his recharging cycle, and as his systems entered sleep mode, he could only think of what the future would hold, and how infallible the great Optimus Prime wasn't.

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(A/N: Thanks for the feedback, folks! And thank you, Ultra Rodimus, for the Cybertronian time measurements.

So, readers? You like? Dislike? Comments? Review!)


	4. Questionable Decisions

Disclaimer: Transformers and all related characters are property of Hasbro, not me.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Questionable Decisions**_

Cyclonus looked out over the crowd that had slowly assembled. He frowned in distaste at how slowly and sloppily they had convened here, though it was understandable. Galvatron had called them all too many times to Trypticon's entrance, usually as a precursor to a random punishment. Either that, or Galvatron would announce his latest scheme to destroy the Autobots.

Of course, the Decepticons had begun to lose their faith in anything their leader said, so their reception to these announcements was lukewarm at best. And, of course, this would do nothing to improve the mood of Galvatron, who would punish a Decepticon at random for their lack of faith in their leader. And he would end up expending so much energy carrying out the punishment that he lost all interest in whatever plan he had concocted in the first place.

This time, though, Cyclonus _knew _it would be different. He knew that Galvatron would be able to rally the troops to his cause. Because, for the first time in a long while, Cyclonus actually began to feel as though his cause was worthwhile. And that was just from one brief exchange with Galvatron. In a speech, Galvatron should have an entire army behind him easily. He looked over at his leader, who was stood with one hand on his hip, though there was no sign of impatience in his features. He walked over to Cyclonus.

"Cyclonus; whatever happens, do not try to assist me."

Cyclonus looked at his leader, alarm and puzzlement contorting his face. "Mighty Galvatron?"

"Do you understand?"

Cyclonus paused, and then slowly nodded. "Yes, mighty Galvatron."

Galvatron silently nodded and walked back to his previous position in front of the crowd. They slowly began to quiet down as they saw that Galvatron was ready to speak.

"Fellow Decepticons. I stand before you to tell you that I am not the same Decepticon you once knew. I am a changed mech. Although I cannot explain how, I can only tell you that I will no longer lead you to defeat after defeat against the Autobots. Regardless of Optimus Prime's return, we will reclaim our previous greatness."

Cyclonus had expected a sceptical reaction from the Decepticons, but the silence that followed was much worse than anything Cyclonus could have imagined. A voice spoke through the crowd.

"I highly doubt that."

Several Decepticons parted to reveal the leader of the Combaticons, Onslaught. His tone was that of a mech that had given up on his cause; one who didn't care if Galvatron became enraged and crushed him. Cyclonus was half expecting his leader to do just that, but instead, Galvatron merely tilted his head slightly.

"Is that right, Onslaught?"

Onslaught puffed out his chestplate. "Yes. Ever since you took command, we have faced crushing defeat after crushing defeat. That would be bad enough, but we were losing to an enemy that was led by an Autobot, that, by all rights, was a child. You couldn't even come close to defeating Rodimus Prime, and now that Optimus Prime has returned… I highly doubt that you could even provide a worthy distraction for him."

There was a deafening pause as the Decepticons cleared away from Onslaught, expecting Galvatron to suddenly launch at him in a rage. The silence continued as they looked from Onslaught to Galvatron, and back to Onslaught. Some of them stole glances at Cyclonus, obviously wondering if he was going to do anything. Under normal circumstances, Cyclonus would most likely have intervened by now, but Galvatron's order rang in his memory circuits.

Then, Galvatron did something most unexpected; he laughed. But not his usual out of control laughter. This laughter sounded familiar, and the other Decepticons recognised it. It was the cold, calculating laugh of Megatron.

"Indeed, Onslaught… indeed."

Galvatron walked toward his detractor, and Onslaught admirably stood his ground, not moving an inch.

"Your comrade in arms carries a point, Decepticons. I _have _led you to defeat after defeat. I have not led you as a good leader should. And that raises the question, Onslaught: could you do better?"

Onslaught paused, unsure of how to respond to the calm Galvatron that stood before him. "Yes. I could."

Galvatron threw his arms up in the air. "Very well then! In that case, I wish to issue you with a challenge, Onslaught. I will hand over leadership of the Decepticons to you for _one plan_," he said, holding up his finger. Cyclonus was about to object, but Galvatron continued before he could say anything.

"One plan that will bring about the complete and total annihilation of the Autobots. You may command this army, including myself, as if it were your own. If your plan succeeds… I will step down as leader and leave, never to be seen or heard from again. However… if your plan fails…"

Galvatron stepped forward so that he was towering over Onslaught, and he looked him in the optics, their noses almost touching.

"…you will never… challenge me… again," he said, his voice lowered to a threatening whisper.

He stepped back and clasped his hands behind his back. He turned and headed back into Trypticon. "You'd better hurry, Onslaught; our energon supplies are running low."

Cyclonus felt as though his jaw would fall clanging to the floor. As Galvatron walked by, Cyclonus had to remind himself to follow and question this decision. Cyclonus did not like Onslaught; it was a fact that he made no effort to hide. It was only because of Bruticus' value to the Decepticons that Cyclonus tolerated him. He didn't want to think about what would happen should his plan succeed, and he became leader.

"Mighty Galvatron… are you sure that that action was wise?"

"Would I have done it if I didn't think so, Cyclonus?" Galvatron asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Of course not, mighty Galvatron, but-"

Galvatron stopped and turned to look at him. He put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Do not be so concerned, Cyclonus. Onslaught cannot succeed."

He turned and headed into a nearby elevator, pushing the button that led to the floor where his chambers were located. Cyclonus stood in silence next to Galvatron as they ascended up the tower. The doors opened, and Cyclonus found his voice again as Galvatron started to walk away from him.

"But, mighty Galvatron… Onslaught is an excellent tactician. How can you be so certain that he will fail?"

They reached the doors that led to Galvatron's chambers, and Galvatron stopped as the doors opened automatically upon his approach. He did not turn to face him as he spoke. "Because only I can kill Optimus Prime. And as long as Optimus Prime lives, so do the Autobots."

He entered his chambers, and the doors slid shut behind him. Cyclonus prepared himself to go back in and continue his objections, but he settled for a low growl and clenching his fists. He whirled on his heel, and was shocked by Soundwave, who had silently appeared behind him. He tried not to register his surprise, though he wouldn't be able to tell if Soundwave gloated or not; out of all the Decepticons, Soundwave was easily the most unreadable. And Cyclonus did not like that fact.

"Yes, Soundwave?"

"Report for Galvatron," Soundwave said, holding up a datapad.

"Perhaps you should be giving that to Onslaught instead," Cyclonus muttered in disgust, before walking around him and into the elevator. He needed some combat training to burn off this anger burning inside him like unstable energon.

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Soundwave stood at the doors to Galvatron's chamber, and made sure that Cyclonus was well and truly gone. He didn't need him coming in at an inopportune moment. Soundwave had been silently observing the exchange between Galvatron and Onslaught, attempting to read Galvatron's mind in hopes of finding a renewed piece of Megatron. And he had come up against something most unexpected; he couldn't access his mind. It was as if Galvatron had put up a mental barrier. The only other Decepticon that Soundwave knew of that could do that was Megatron, which further increased his resolve to find out the truth.

He pushed the chime button and almost instantly heard a muffled 'come in' from inside the chambers. He walked forward, and the doors slid open obligingly. Soundwave set the blank datapad down on a nearby table, thankful that Cyclonus had opted not to read it on Galvatron's behalf, as he had done so many times before. Galvatron had his back to him, examining something on his desk.

"I have not changed my mind, Cyclonus," he said, a tired impatience in his voice. He did a double glance over his shoulder, smiling as he recognised Soundwave. He waved him over.

"Soundwave. I thought you were Cyclonus coming back to trouble me."

Soundwave cautiously walked over, admittedly curious as to what had Galvatron so enraptured. As he reached him, he saw him looking at galactic maps. Soundwave's optics widened slightly beneath his visor as he began to wonder what in the name of Primus was going on. Galvatron pointed at several dots on the holographic maps.

"You see? These planets are so close to us, and so rich in energy… I cannot believe we did not take advantage of them earlier. But, that is not important right now. What can I do for you, Soundwave?"

Soundwave paused. "I wish to know if you are Megatron."

Galvatron raised an optic ridge. "And what has prompted this question?"

"You have been acting… out of character since your return from Earth."

Galvatron smiled and looked up wistfully. "I suppose I have… or perhaps I have merely been acting out of character since we came to Charr – have you considered that?"

Soundwave remained silent, and Galvatron continued. "Tell me, Soundwave; how would you have confirmed that I am Megatron?"

"I would have engaged you in a mind probe."

Galvatron nodded. "I see. And why haven't you tried to do this before?"

"I have."

Galvatron raised an optic ridge. "Is that so? And what happened when you tried?"

"I was blocked by… something."

Galvatron smiled with pride. "Excellent… I have regained my ability to repel mind control. I was concerned that it may have been lost because of the plasma damage…" Galvatron shook his head. "In any case… of all Decepticons, Soundwave, I need your support the most. So, if you feel the need, I will allow you to perform your mind probe."

Soundwave cautiously raised his hand forward, gently touching the crown like shape on Galvatron's head. Using his abilities, he reached out, going further and further until… He quickly stepped back, and, if his face had allowed it, he would have grinned.

"Megatron… it is good to see you again."

Galvatron smiled slightly but then shook his head. "No. My name is Galvatron now."

Soundwave cocked his head to the side. "But… why?"

"Because I wish for history to record that it was Galvatron, the 'insane' Decepticon leader, that destroyed the Autobots, not Megatron. Megatron is a name of the past. He couldn't defeat Optimus Prime, whereas I… will annihilate him."

He clenched his fist in front of him as he spoke, and Soundwave could see Megatron's spark shining through.

"Is it wise to allow Onslaught to lead?" Soundwave asked, remembering how much Megatron valued his frank manner.

Galvatron looked at him in slight surprise. "Soundwave, you of all Decepticons should know that I would never have allowed Onslaught to take command if I thought he had the slightest chance of winning. But I must allow him to do this. I have led the Decepticons through fear for too long; I must earn their respect. They must learn that I am best for the Decepticons."

"And if Decepticons die in the process?"

Galvatron's demeanour became serious once again, and he laid a hand on Soundwave's shoulder. "We will just have to ensure that that does not happen."

Their conversation was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from Soundwave's chestplate. He pushed a button on his shoulder and spoke.

"Soundwave."

Onslaught's voice came through Soundwave's speakers.

"_Soundwave, I require your assistance. Please report to my quarters immediately."_

He looked up at Galvatron, who held a slightly amused look on his face. He nodded.

"I am en route," Soundwave said quickly.

He pushed the button to terminate the transmission, and Galvatron went back to his desk to look at the holographic maps once again. He waved in Soundwave's direction dismissively. "Go, Soundwave. Do not concern yourself; Prime is not so sloppy as to allow Onslaught to defeat him."

Soundwave nodded. "Yes, Galvatron." He turned to leave before pausing. "It is… good to have you back."

Galvatron didn't respond as Soundwave silently left. He wandered around his desk and sat in his chair, leaning back and wondering what Prime was doing at that exact moment… if he had any idea what laughable attack was coming his way.

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(A/N: So? Comments? Negative or Positive, it's all welcome. Review!)


	5. Sudden Events

Disclaimer: The Transformers and all characters in this fic are property of Hasbro – I don't own any of this stuff.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter Five: Sudden Events**_

Kup pressed the autopilot and got up out of his chair to stretch his servos. It was a long journey to get to Cybertron, and he intended to make the best of it. As he turned around, he was surprised. Now, not much can surprise the grizzled Kup; only a select few have ever done so. Even fewer have done it repeatedly.

And Hot Rod was one of those 'Bots that would never cease to surprise him. When he first met him, he was surprised at just how reckless he could be. Then he was surprised by just how capably he had filled the role of leader. Of course, Optimus had surprised him, coming back from the dead and all, but that was hardly of his own doing.

Hot Rod would continually find ways to surprise Kup. And he would never do it consciously, either. And Kup was surprised yet again by the young Autobot as he sat quietly looking out of the viewport next to his seat, a _thoughtful_ look on his face. Yes, thoughtful. Not bored, annoyed, sulking or an otherwise immature response, but thoughtful.

He walked over to the young Autobot, casually taking in what the other Autobots were doing as he did so. Jazz was leant back in his chair listening to some Earth music (with headphones, much to the relief of Kup, Optimus, and everyone else on board). Kup had no aversion to Earth music (he particularly enjoyed Louis Armstrong), but the drivel that Jazz and Blaster usually listened to made him short circuit.

Optimus was sat at his command console, engrossed in a datapad in front of him, holding up his head with his hand thoughtfully. Kup smiled at how similar Hot Rod and Optimus looked at that moment. It was still hard to believe that he had actually come back from the dead. In Kup's experience, no-one _ever _returned from the dead. Everyone he knew that had died had stayed dead, no matter who they were.

Kup wondered what it was like to be dead and then come back. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that it must have been a very traumatic experience. He shook his head as his admiration for the Autobot grew in the space of a few seconds. To be pulled back from the abyss and to then just get down to business so quickly… it simply reinforced Kup's belief that he was in the presence of a living legend.

His thoughts were interrupted by Bluestreak almost bumping into him. "Oops… sorry Kup, I didn't mean to run into you, I was just looking at this report a bit too much, and-"

Kup nodded and smiled understandingly, putting up a hand to silence Bluestreak. "It's okay, Bluestreak. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Bluestreak nodded and walked past. Hot Rod's attention had been drawn to him by the near collision, so Kup gave a wave and sat down next to the Autobot. "How're you doing, lad?"

"Okay," Hot Rod said, the frown on his face remaining regardless.

"Don't try to fool an old warhorse, lad. What's bothering you?"

Hot Rod smirked. "'Warhorse'?"

Kup shrugged. "I've been hanging around Spike for too long."

"Really? I thought you were hanging around with Carly the most."

Kup raised an optic ridge. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, my foot."

Hot Rod raised his arms in mock surrender. "I swear, it's nothing!" he said, a smile evident on his face.

Kup grimaced and grumbled, crossing his arms. "Anyway, I came over here to ask you what's wrong. So, are you going to tell me, lad? Or am I going to have to guess?"

Hot Rod's easy smile faded, and he looked out of the window next to him, once again resting his chin on his hand. "I was thinking about Springer."

Kup nodded. "Ah."

Hot Rod looked at him. "'Ah'? What d'you mean, 'Ah'?"

"I swear, it's nothing," Kup said, imitating Hot Rod's earlier tone of voice. Hot Rod's face darkened, and Kup laughed. "You know, lad, just because you couldn't handle your energon, there's no reason to get depressed."

"That's not it."

"What is it, then?"

Hot Rod sighed. "It's… something Springer said last night. About how…" he checked over in Optimus' direction before lowering his voice. "…he thinks our 'group' is going to be broken up."

"Our 'group'?"

"You know… me, you, Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Springer, Blurr…"

Kup frowned. "Why on Cybertron does he think that?"

"Well, just look at what happened today. Ultra Magnus and the others have all been left on Earth, while you and I are going with Optimus."

Kup nodded thoughtfully. "I see your point… and I suppose Springer's itchy about not seeing any action, am I right?"

"Something like that. I suggested that he go and talk to Optimus, but-"

"Well, that wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because Optimus doesn't know him."

"But… Optimus knows every Autobot's name."

Kup cast his optics skyward. "You honestly believe that, lad?"

"Well…"

"Let me put it this way: did you know the difference between Inferno and Red Alert when you leader?"

Hot Rod paused, and guilt crossed his face. "Well… no, I didn't… but Optimus is different than I was… he's…" Hot Rod looked down slightly. "…he's better."

Kup laid a hand on Hot Rod's shoulder. "He's not a better leader, lad. He's just different. And he'dbe the first one to tell you that."

Kup got up and headed back to the helm and sat down. He shook his head at how ludicrous Hot Rod sounded, and got back to running diagnostics on the various systems on board. He paused for a moment as he wondered what duty Optimus would assign him. When he thought about it, he hadn't served under Optimus in a time of relative peace before; he wasn't even sure if Optimus himself knew what to do. He shook the thought from his mind and got back to his diagnostics.

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Hot Rod raced through the streets of Cybertron and felt free again. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. This had been his first time using his old alternate mode since he became Hot Rod again. It had taken a few painful bumps and dents, but he had eventually adapted to his newfound speed. He wondered how he ever managed move about with that huge trailer on his back. As he saw his reflection in the shining metal, he also realised how much cooler this alternate mode was. And, even better, he could think of what was cool and what wasn't again. As Rodimus, he hadn't had time to worry about it. Now, he could take the time to be _cool _again.

He turned another corner and panicked as an Autobot suddenly appeared in his path. He swerved to the left and collided with a wall, jolting him to a stop. He transformed, groaning, thankful that his metal chassis was nowhere near as fragile as Earth automobiles' were. He rubbed his head and stood, turning to see the Autobot who had stood in his way. He didn't recognise him, and instantly cocked an optic ridge. The Autobot laughed nervously.

"Oh, uh… sorry about that, Rodimus, sir."

Hot Rod shook his head. "Hot Rod. And you are…?"

"Oh! I'm Brainstorm. I'm one of the new recruits from Paradron."

Hot Rod frowned in thought for a moment. "Paradron…" his face loosened as he remembered the planet of Cybertronian pacifists. "Oh, from Paradron. Yes, I remember we were getting ready to begin training before the Hate Plague business."

Brainstorm nodded. "Right."

"And, what can I do for you?"

"Well, as part of my training, I've been assigned to you."

Hot Rod ducked his head slightly. "'Assigned to me'?"

"That's right. To follow your actions, learn from you as you handle different situations… kind of like an apprentice."

"Apprentice…" Hot Rod repeated numbly.

"So…" Brainstorm said nervously, "what are we doing first?"

Hot Rod's optics widened. "We're…!" he began loudly, exasperated at what was unfolding in front of him. Brainstorm jumped backwards slightly, and Hot Rod calmed himself. "…we're going to find out what's going on, that's what."

Hot Rod transformed and zoomed off towards the command center. He heard Brainstorm transforming behind him and almost veered off the road again as a Cybertronian jet roared overhead. Hot Rod resisted the urge to shout at him to slow down, and turned another corner as sharply as he could, hoping that the jolting turns would shock this anger from him before he went to talk to whoever ordered this.

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It took little time for Hot Rod and Brainstorm to get to the command center, and Hot Rod had to bite back the urge to tell the pacifist Autobot to stop following him. He reminded himself that he was just a new recruit, and that he didn't know better. They stepped into the elevator leading to the main command center. There was an awkward silence as the elevator silently ascended the building. At least, it was awkward for Brainstorm. Hot Rod simply stood fuming, tapping his foot impatiently.

The doors opened, and Hot Rod rushed out, walking quickly towards Kup, who was stood at a large control panel at the back of the room. Brainstorm looked around in awe at the command center, wondering how long it would be before he was in here, working with the best of the best. Hot Rod ignored his supposed 'pupil' and tapped Kup on the shoulder. Kup glanced over his shoulder and tapped a few buttons on his control panel before turning totally to face him.

"Yes, lad?"

"Can I have a word with you?" Hot Rod asked angrily, trying his best not to raise his voice. He looked over at Brainstorm, who was still stood in the middle of the command center, utterly enraptured in one of the screens. "In private?" he added.

Kup hesitated momentarily, then nodded, walking over to a small room in the corner that was labelled 'Optimus Prime'. Hot Rod paused before he followed, noting that that used to be his office.

_They haven't wasted any time changing the sign._

Hot Rod shook his head, though he wasn't sure why. He followed him in, and Kup stood before him with his arms crossed. Hot Rod waited until the door had shut behind him before speaking.

"Was this your idea?" Hot Rod asked angrily.

"The training method was Prime's idea. The candidates and their tutors were chosen by yours truly."

Hot Rod scowled. "And you thought it was a good idea to give _me _someone to look after? Me? Hot Rod? The most irresponsible Autobot in the entire army?"

"I don't think that description really fits anymore, lad."

"Why? Because I've been leader?"

Kup cocked his head slightly at Hot Rod's sceptical tone of voice. "Why? Don't you think so?"

"No!"

Kup jerked his head back ever so slightly at the sudden response, and Hot Rod paused to calm himself. "Look, Kup… I appreciate what you're doing, but… that was Rodimus leading the Autobots, not me. Everything I did as Rodimus was because of the Matrix. Without that, I'm not the Autobot you think I am."

Kup remained silent and turned. He walked around his office, keeping his arms crossed. He stopped at the window overlooking Cybertron. "There were times when I never thought I'd see this." He turned to look at Hot Rod, who had a questioning optic ridge raised. "Cybertron at peace, I mean. And it was because of you, lad."

Hot Rod was about to object, but Kup continued before he could say anything. "And not only that, but you took on new challenges. You fought the Quintessons. You fought Galvatron. You set up trade agreements and settled disputes between planets. _You _did that, lad. Not the Matrix. The Matrix just gave you the information you needed to do the job. It was up to you what to do with it. And _that _is why Prime personally requested that you look after one of these young 'Bots."

Hot Rod wasn't sure how long he remained silent before speaking up. "Prime did what?"

Kup nodded. "That's right. He obviously thinks you've got potential."

"Yeah, well… I'm not so convinced."

"Just do it, lad. The sooner you get him up to snuff, the sooner he's out of your hair."

Hot Rod smiled. "'Hair'? Let me guess, too much time with Carly?"

Kup scowled and pointed to the door. "Out."

Hot Rod grinned and left. He waved to his new student, still not happy at the arrangements, but feeling a bit more tolerant of it.

"Brainstorm, let's go."

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"Um, Hot Rod?"

"Yes, Brainstorm?"

"Explain to me what the point of this exercise is?"

Hot Rod sighed and looked over at his fellow Autobot. "The point," he said, "is to learn patience." And with that, he turned back to the pool of water in front of him. One of the luxuries of being leader was being able to request the strangest things. As Rodimus, he had personally asked for a large pond to be installed within a bio-dome on Cybertron, and to have it filled with cybernetic fish. The Dinobots had approved, as had Daniel. Rodimus had enjoyed unwinding there, though he had found little time to go because of various leadership duties. Of course, now that he was Hot Rod, it was a different story.

Brainstorm was still having difficulty grasping the situation. "But… what possible practical use could this have?"

"Some things don't have to be practical for them to be useful," Hot Rod said in a mysterious tone, enjoying being able to mystify his pupil. He realised that Ultra Magnus had probably done it to him more than a few times. Brainstorm suddenly began lurching forward.

"Um… Hot Rod? My stick's moving."

Hot Rod tried not to laugh at what would, to humans, be a particularly rude innuendo. He partially succeeded, letting out a brief snigger before walking over to him. "Well…" he said, still snickering, "just grab your stick."

"What's so funny?"

Hot Rod shook his head and tried to wipe the smile from his face.

_Slag it, this is difficult._

"Nothing. You've got a fish on the end of your line; just reel it in."

"Reel it in?"

"Right. Grab that handle there… and pull it back."

Brainstorm did so, and the handle rotated back. He looked at Hot Rod in achievement, a smile forming behind his faceplate. Hot Rod anxiously pointed to his line.

"Keep on going, keep on going."

Brainstorm whipped his head back and kept on winding the handle backwards, until the fish came writhing up from the water.

"Y'see?" Hot Rod said, gesturing to the fish on the end of the line. "Patience."

Brainstorm nodded, then looked at the fish. "Now what?"

"Now… you let it go."

Brainstorm looked over at him in surprise. "Let it go? But… I spent so long getting it."

Hot Rod shrugged. "Don't ask me, ask Daniel."

"Daniel?"

"Human kid. You'll like him."

Their conversation was interrupted by Hot Rod's comm going off. He pushed a button and Kup's face appeared on the screen. Hot Rod tried to ignore Brainstorm's struggle to remove the fish from the end of his line as he spoke.

"Hot Rod here."

"_Get up here lad. We've got a distress signal coming in, and Prime wants you on his team."_

Hot Rod paused. "What about-?"

"_He comes too. That's the whole point of this training program, lad; working in the field."_

Hot Rod looked up to find Brainstorm desperately trying to grab hold of the slippery fish that was writhing in front of him. He sighed.

"We'll be right there."

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The ramp slowly lowered, and Hot Rod cautiously stepped out onto the desolate asteroid. He turned to look at Optimus.

"This absolutely stinks of a trap, you know."

Optimus nodded as walked down the ramp. "I agree, but we can't ignore the possibility that the distress call was genuine. The message held all of the correct Autobot signatures."

Hot Rod shrugged. "Just so you know…"

Brainstorm came out after Optimus, and looked around the asteroid in awe. In fact, Hot Rod noticed, he seemed to look at everything in awe. He looked forward to see that Optimus and Hot Rod had gotten ahead of him. As he ran to catch up, Hot Rod looked over at Optimus.

"So, how come you don't get a student?"

Optimus continued to look ahead. "I have an army full of them."

Hot Rod stopped walking, staring in wonderment at the back of Optimus' head. Was that a joke? From Optimus Prime? Brainstorm caught up to Hot Rod, and stopped next to him.

"Problem?"

Hot Rod looked at Brainstorm, then looked back at Optimus. "No, it's nothing." He continued ahead, and Brainstorm walked alongside him.

_Maybe the Quintesson that brought him back crossed some wires._

Optimus suddenly stopped in his tracks, prompting Hot Rod and Brainstorm to freeze. There was a long pause as all they could hear was their own inner workings. Hot Rod pulled his two laser pistols from subspace, and Brainstorm followed suit, pulling out his own weapon. Everything was still until Optimus began to slowly squat down.

Suddenly, he sprang back, pushing himself backwards in time to avoid a particularly large explosion. The force of the explosion blew him backwards, and he landed awkwardly on his back. He turned the landing into a backwards roll, toppling heels over head while he pulled his rifle from subspace.

His roll ended in front of Hot Rod and Brainstorm, and they looked forward at the giant dust cloud formed by the explosion. Hot Rod was expecting Galvatron to emerge, and was surprised to see Onslaught stepping forth. Optimus was obviously surprised as well, judging by how he whispered Onslaught's name questioningly. Onslaught was holding some kind of huge weapon which was still smoking.

"Do you like it, Prime? It's something I had the Constructicons whip up for me!" He took aim at the trio, and the weapon made a whining noise as it powered up.

"Move!" Optimus yelled, moving to his left. Hot Rod and Brainstorm followed suit, transforming and darting off in different directions. The explosion sent a giant dust cloud billowing over them, and for an instant, Hot Rod was blinded. When the dust cleared, he was greeted by the sight of Astrotrain taking aim at him. Hot Rod quickly transformed and leapt over his opponent, blasting away at him as he did so. The awkward angle prevented him from making any hits, but it enveloped Astrotrain in a cloud of dust, causing him to yell in protest.

Hot Rod landed and transformed again, heading to the shuttle as he dodged random laser blasts coming from the dust cloud. As he approached, he found that Brainstorm and Optimus were making their way to the shuttle as well. The Decepticons seemed obsessed with landing a hit on Optimus, which didn't surprise Hot Rod in the least; Rodimus Prime was considered a popular target back in the day. And the fact that he had just miraculously come back to life wasn't doing him any favours, either.

Brainstorm, meanwhile, was being pursued by two very persistent Sweeps, and Hot Rod prepared himself to help out, when Optimus fired off two shots that caught both of them dead center. He heard them yell in pain and tumble from the sky. Just as the shuttle seemed within reach, Predaking landed in front of them, roaring menacingly as he did so. Hot Rod and Brainstorm transformed as they stopped, and Optimus skidded to a halt. Hot Rod put his hands on his hips and 'scratched' his head.

"Damn; a trap. I wish we'd thought of that."

Predaking felt himself being rotated around by his shoulder, and turned in time to see Superion's fist collide with his chin, sending him flying backwards. Optimus, Hot Rod and Brainstorm vacated the area, letting Predaking land on the ground with a crash.

"Oh, wait," Hot Rod smirked, "We did."

Predaking growled and hauled himself to his feet, and Superion readied himself for the attack.

"Superion!" Optimus yelled. "Take the fight away from the shuttle! We don't want-"

Optimus' orders were interrupted by the whine of Onslaught's new weapon, and Optimus' optics widened. "Superion! Get away from the shuttle before-"

The shuttle exploded, sending Superion tumbling forward and sending the others flying away. The trio landed in roughly the same area as each other, and Hot Rod went over to Brainstorm to see if he was hurt. Brainstorm groaned and nodded in response to Hot Rod's concerned look. Hot Rod turned to Optimus, who was already on his feet. The whining could be heard again, and Optimus looked around for the source of the noise.

"Hot Rod, can you see him?"

Hot Rod shook his head and lowered his scanning visor. "Give me a-"

He was cut off by an explosion, and the last thing that Hot Rod saw was a white flash before his systems put him into stasis lock.

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(A/N: Just thought I'd answer a few queries:

Ultra Rodimus: Galvatron kept his name for another reason, which you'll see later. Also, this is a precursor to the three part hell that is _'Rebirth'_, so it's for continuity's sake too. And your Galvatron… dude… he's _crazy_. I don't mean 'Hooch is crazy' kind of crazy; I mean 'Hooch is _really _crazy' kind of crazy. (If you haven't seen _Scrubs_, you will have _no _idea what I'm talking about).

MariaShadow: There's no query to answer here, but I'd just like to thank you for introducing me to the term 'optic ridge' (as a replacement for eyebrow) in your fics. It's been a life saver, let me tell you.

Thanks for the reviews, folks! Keep 'em coming!)


	6. The Hunter and the Hunted

Disclaimer: The Transformers and all related characters in this story aren't mine and are all property of Hasbro

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter Six: The Hunter and the Hunted**_

Cyclonus lay on his front, overlooking the asteroid below them where Prime and the others had been. He grunted in frustration, looking to his right to see Galvatron and Scourge also laid on their fronts, overlooking the aftermath of the short battle. Scourge had a look of boredom on his features, and Galvatron's expression was unreadable. Cyclonus hadn't been able to read his leader for quite some time. Every action he had taken thus far had been out of character for the Galvatron that Cyclonus knew. It was out of character for Megatron as well. The old Decepticon commander would never have allowed Onslaught of all people to lead, not least because he was created by Starscream.

And yet, here they were, overlooking the aftermath of Onslaught's first attack on Optimus Prime. The Aerialbots had quickly dispersed after Prime had been supposedly destroyed, though Cyclonus was convinced that they were still in the area. However, Onslaught was preoccupied with finding Prime and his two companions, all of whom he was certain had survived, owing to the fact that there was a huge whole where they were stood.

That was another aspect that bothered Cyclonus. He had recognised Hot Rod instantly, but the other Autobot was unknown to him. He was an unpredictable element, a 'wild card' as Swindle would say. However, Cyclonus was powerless to do anything about it. He, like Galvatron and Scourge, had been assigned to monitor duty, to prevent any Autobots escaping. Cyclonus himself was also certain that Prime and the others were alive, if not only for the fact that both Optimus and Rodimus Prime had proven notoriously difficult to kill in the past. At the very least, Optimus Prime would have survived. Cyclonus relished the thought of someday being able to face him in battle; the stories told of him said that he was a more capable fighter than even Ultra Magnus.

"What is he doing? He should go in instead of wasting his time with these scans," Scourge said, resting his chin on his hand. Cyclonus and Galvatron looked over at him.

"Indeed, Scourge?" Galvatron asked. "And if _I _had chosen to take this same course of action, would you still criticise it so?"

Scourge's optics widened slightly. "Of course not, mighty Galvatron. I was merely stating that his method was sloppy."

Galvatron nodded and turned back to look straight ahead, an amused look on his features. Cyclonus took in the expression on his leader's face.

"One might call that toying with your soldiers, might Galvatron," he murmured, wondering what his small attempt at humour would bring. Galvatron looked over at him, and for the briefest of moments, Cyclonus feared for his life. Then Galvatron smiled.

"One might call it that, Cyclonus. But I call it amusing myself to pass the time," Galvatron murmured back, turning his attention forward once again. Cyclonus felt relief wash over him, though he tried his best not to show it. It was refreshing to be able to banter with his leader without fear of being blasted, smashed or otherwise damaged. There were few others in the Decepticon army who he considered intelligent enough to do so with.

"Tell me, mighty Galvatron. How would you conduct this search for Prime?"

"I wouldn't be searching, Cyclonus. I would have killed him in the first attack. That weapon his too unwieldy; it drains too much energon. We've used up half of what we've gathered recently for just a few shots."

Cyclonus nodded. "Yes, that was my thought as well."

Galvatron smiled slightly. Cyclonus also smiled, keeping his optics on the asteroid in front of him. He was beginning to like this new Galvatron.

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Skydive hated Galvatron. Megatron was bad enough, but at least he could understand what he was doing. Megatron was simply after what they wanted (when it came to sources of energon); they just went about it in a very different way, taking it instead of asking for it. But Galvatron… there was just no way to understand him. First he tells Optimus Prime that there would be no war, saying that he had earned his respect. And then, he pulls a crazy stunt like this. And even then, he doesn't appear to gloat himself (which even Megatron would do), but instead sends Onslaught, as if _he_ were leading the Decepticons.

For someone who had studied the history of war almost obsessively, the seemingly random actions of the Decepticon leader confused and irritated Skydive to no end. Another thing that Skydive wasn't particularly fond of was spending too much time with his Aerialbot team-mate, Slingshot. Why couldn't he have been stuck with Silverbolt or Fireflight? Silverbolt would have probably found a way to get them out of this situation by now, and Fireflight… well, he wouldn't have done anything to help particularly, but he was a very calming influence, as long as he wasn't flying next to you.

Hell, Skydive would have settled for Air Raid, who, while a bit impulsive and reckless, would have at least seen the sense in staying put and would remain relatively calm. But not Slingshot. No, Slingshot he was being the most annoying Autobot he could possibly be. Most of the time, Skydive made a point to spend as little time with him as possible, since he was quite loud and abrasive most of the time. Well, all of the time. Skydive had a tendency to play down someone's negative aspects in favour of their good ones. But where Slingshot was concerned, even he had a hard time thinking of anything good to say about him.

And that was what Skydive was doing right now; trying to think of something positive that he could think about Slingshot while he droned on and on about how he could have taken Predaking by himself, and that the others hadn't _really _needed to be there. His incessant showboating didn't help the fact that Skydive was trying to affect repairs on Slingshot's left leg, which had been hit by a stray laser bolt when they separated. They had received a coded transmission from Silverbolt, informing them to stay wherever they were, as long as they were safely hidden. Which Skydive believed they were, in some hidden tunnel within an asteroid.

He surmised that the Decepticons would most likely expend their recourses searching for Optimus Prime, seeing as he was the leader and thereby the most valuable target. The other Aerialbots had called for reinforcements, which were apparently on their way. Slingshot's rant continued, and Skydive wondered how First Aid managed to repair him without killing him. He wondered how Ratchet used to do it.

"And you know what else? I could have taken down Galvatron as well, if he'd shown his hide. He was just afraid of what I was going to do to him…"

Skydive wished that the Autobot reinforcements would arrive and find them soon. Skydive also wished that he had more than a rudimentary knowledge of Transformer anatomy.

"And another thing…"

Skydive sighed. He wished he knew where Slingshot's vocal processor was.

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Hot Rod knew too much about Transformer anatomy. He hadn't before he'd 'inherited' the Matrix, but after that point, bits and pieces had come together in the middle of battle, and Hot Rod now had a pretty firm grasp of the basics. He knew enough to know that he had lost a lot of energon. When Onslaught's weapon had hit them, it had caused the ground beneath them to cave in, and they had fallen for quite a distance (Hot Rod had no idea that the asteroid was that deep) before landing on the ground. Hot Rod had landed on a particularly long and sharp outcropping of rock which had pierced his side, leaving a nasty little wound there.

His auto repair systems had kicked in soon enough, but by the time they shut down the energon flow to that area, Hot Rod was already dangerously low on the fuel. And all this happened before he came out of stasis lock. Optimus and Brainstorm had landed relatively safely (just a dent here or there, or so Brainstorm had said), and had carried his offline form into the maze of tunnels that existed in the asteroid. When Hot Rod had eventually come back online, Optimus was taking the first watch while Brainstorm tried to quietly recharge as best he could.

Hot Rod looked at his 'protégé', and almost laughed at the word. How on Cybertron had he, Hot Rod, ended up with a 'protégé'? If anything, Hot Rod should be someone else's student. He had a lot to learn before he became a good Autobot soldier. Hot Rod frowned. But was he sure of that? After becoming Rodimus Prime and leading the Autobots, had he become more mature? After all, Hot Rod hadn't pulled any immature pranks or made any rash decisions (Springer's high grade energon notwithstanding) since his return to his younger self.

That phrase made him raise an optic ridge. 'Younger'? Was he really younger as Hot Rod than he was as Rodimus? Physically, he hadn't aged, but he knew in his spark that _he_ had, inside. Not in any physiological way that Perceptor or First Aid would be able to detect, but in more of a spiritual sense. He _felt _older. When he talked to Springer, he saw him as an equal. Before, he saw Springer as this big, intimidating (femme stealing) 'Bot.

Thinking back on it, that was most likely another reason that Hot Rod felt reluctant to initiate a relationship with Arcee. That would signify a return to the way things were, as if nothing had happened in-between. And Hot Rod didn't like that idea. He didn't like the idea that he had learned nothing from his time as Rodimus Prime. He didn't like the idea that it was all for nothing.

He heard heavy footsteps trudging towards him, and turned to his right, aiming his wrist blasters in case it was a Decepticon. The gleaming red chassis of his leader came into view, and he relaxed. Optimus' blue optics glowed in the semidarkness as he looked over at his young comrade.

"You're awake."

Hot Rod nodded, looking into the small lamp that had been erected in front of them. It didn't provide much light, but it was enough for the sharp vision of a Transformer. Optimus nodded at the lamp.

"That was Brainstorm's idea. He has a keen mind for someone so young."

Hot Rod looked over at his slumbering 'student'. "Yeah, he's the next Wheeljack."

Optimus walked over to Brainstorm and gave him a nudge. "Brainstorm?"

Brainstorm's optics slowly flickered to life, and he scrambled to his feet as he realised who was stood before him. "Is it my watch, sir?"

Optimus nodded an affirmative and proceeded to detail the route that he had patrolled. Brainstorm nodded with each instruction, and almost excitedly took off down the tunnel. Optimus let out a very low chuckle and shook his head. Hot Rod doubted that he would have been able to pick up the laugh if he hadn't used that chuckle himself on new recruits. He remembered how the Technobots would fall over themselves sometimes, and it made him chuckle as well. Optimus slid down the wall next to him until he was sat down, staring into the lamp just as Hot Rod.

"Something amusing, Hot Rod?" he asked, no irritation in his voice; simply a mild curiosity.

"New recruits," Hot Rod said, gesturing towards the tunnel where Brainstorm had just scurried down. "I remember how funny they can be."

"If you think he's bad, you should have seen Huffer when he was-" Optimus stopped short and sighed. "Well, it was something to see."

Hot Rod felt the sadness in Optimus' voice, and the awkwardness that followed was too much for his energon deprived brain to handle.

"So. How're you finding things since you got back?"

Optimus didn't look at him; he merely continued staring into the lamp. "It's… very different."

"How'd you mean?"

Optimus hesitated for a moment, then rested his head on the wall behind him, looking up at the ceiling. He sighed. "I'm used to fighting a war. That's what Alpha Trion designed me for, and that's what I've always been best at. And now… I suddenly have to work on trade agreements and act as an intermediary between different worlds. And at the same time, I've got to worry about Galvatron and the Quintessons. It's certainly not what it was before I…"

A silence followed, and Hot Rod pondered what he could say to fill it.

"…Left?" Hot Rod finished, and Optimus looked over at him, still resting his head on the wall behind him. He let out another low 'leader chuckle' and turned back to look at the ceiling.

"Can anyone else tell when you do that?"

"Do what?"

"The laughing thing. Only Spike could ever tell when I was doing it."

"He most likely learnt it from watching me. Ironhide knew as well. Sometimes he would…" Optimus sighed. "But that's not important."

Hot Rod looked over and studied the face of his leader. Before he became Prime, Optimus had always been so unreadable to him. Now he could see through that faceplate and through his façade. There was a _very_ damaged 'Bot lurking beneath the confident and powerful Optimus Prime shell. A damaged 'Bot that suddenly lacked almost all of the familiar faces he had come to rely on for support.

Hot Rod knew from experience that it was a bad idea to become reliant in such a fashion on those under your command, but it had not stopped him from relying on 'Bots like Ultra Magnus and Kup while he was Rodimus Prime. If Hot Rod were in Optimus' position, he didn't know what he would do without their support and help.

And worse, Optimus couldn't even visit their bodies; they had been destroyed when the Mausoleum had been set on a direct course for the sun. Hot Rod's optics widened slightly. A course which Optimus had set. Not of his own volition, but the fact remains that he would remember setting the course. And Hot Rod had never considered the thought of just how long Optimus had been wandering around that ship in his half dead state before they had arrived, surrounded by the bodies of Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl…

"How do you do it?" Hot Rod whispered quietly, unaware that he had even spoken.

"Do what?"

Hot Rod paused before continuing, before he was reminded of an Earth saying.

_In for a penny, in for a pound._

"How do you keep on… being the way you are? You've been through so much. It would have driven any other Autobot insane."

"I wasn't exactly of sound mind on the Mausoleum, Hot Rod."

Hot Rod shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "I meant _after_ that. With the memories of what the Quintessons did to you… of what they made you do… and then to come back and find that everything you knew and relied on was suddenly gone… how?"

Optimus was silent for a long time, and Hot Rod wondered if Optimus had even listened to what he had said, or if he had instead dismissed it as mere hero worship. But it was more than that; because of the Matrix, Hot Rod had finally begun to see Optimus as an equal. And, through an equals' eyes, Hot Rod saw just how imperfect Optimus Prime was. And _that_ imperfection is what made what Optimus had done so amazing to Hot Rod. For an ordinary 'Bot to go through that and still… he finally understood why Kup and the others held him in such high regard. It wasn't because of his skills as a warrior. It was because he was just like them. He goes through everything they do, and still comes out as this great leader. It's what made him such a symbol of good. A symbol of hope.

"Because I had to," Optimus answered.

Hot Rod looked at his leader. Just looked at him. The way he could just simplify everything that had happened to him… Hot Rod felt such admiration for him, but also felt something else twisting inside him. Something unpleasant. Hot Rod frowned as he recognised the emotion. He was jealous. Jealous of how Optimus could go through so much and just brush it off like a layer of dust. All the things that he had complained about as Rodimus… it just seemed so insignificant. He wanted to say something. Anything.

"I'm not perfect, Hot Rod."

Hot Rod paused briefly. "Sorry?"

"I can see the way you're looking at me. I've seen it on the faces of other Autobots, and it's not true."

"But-"

"No, just listen, Hot Rod. I know that on Cybertron, I have a very… _exaggerated _reputation. And while we were stranded on Earth for all that time… the _reports_ about my exploits grew into legends. I didn't take down an entire Decepticon weapons facility with one arm missing. I didn't defeat three Guardian robots by myself. I can barely hold my own against _one_. Most Autobots have an idea in their minds of what I am, and it's the wrong one. _That's _the Optimus Prime you competed against when you were leader. Those that actually knew me, like Ultra Magnus and Kup, _they_ knew that you were just as capable a leader as I am… was. Or am…"

Optimus laughed, but it was an almost desperate laugh.

"You see? I don't even know what to say about myself anymore. Am I still leader? _Should _I still be leader?"

"You're not… thinking of retiring, are you?"

Optimus remained silent for a moment before sighing. "After you became leader… the state of the Autobots changed. You had retaken Cybertron. There was relative peace. The Autobots thrived. And, looking back on what you've done… how you've done more than I did in my entire lifetime… I begin to wonder if I am not the right leader for this new Cybertron. A new kind of Cybertron requires a new kind of leader, and you_ were_ that leader."

"Optimus… you can't think that… I can't just…" Hot Rod trailed off, feeling slightly panicked at the prospect of having to become Rodimus again.

"Usually, I would journey into the Matrix for guidance, to see if there was a reason that I was brought back. But now… the Matrix is just an empty shell…" he mentally commanded his chestplate to open, and he pulled out the Matrix. There was still light coming from the crystalline center, and the brightness made Hot Rod wince slightly. Even after he had carried it, the very sight of it still filled him with a sense of awe and wonder. Optimus looked down at the sacred object, a look of near disgust contorting his face.

"An empty shell… with no more answers to offer than you or I."

Hot Rod considered what he could say. He wondered what other Autobots would so in his situation. Ultra Magnus would tell Prime that he was a great leader, Arcee would try her best to comfort him, and Springer would probably pull out some of his high grade energon from somewhere on his person. Then Hot Rod's mind went on to what Kup would do; what he had done to him when he had become all mopey as Rodimus. He turned to his leader.

"Optimus…"

Optimus turned to look at him.

"…I know you've just come back from the dead and all, but… don't you think that you're being just a little bit melodramatic? I mean, has it ever occurred to you that you weren'tbrought back for a reason? That it just happened? Every other Autobot in the army doesn't know if they're here for a reason. They just go about their jobs as best they can. What you're asking for… I doubt the Matrix could give you the answer. You're looking for the meaning of life, and nobody can tell_ you_ what the meaning of _your _life is. I don't know what the meaning of my life is. Sure, _maybe _the meaning of my life was to become leader and destroy Unicron. But then again, maybe the meaning of my life was to annoy Kup for the rest of his life. What I'm trying to say is…"

Hot Rod put a hand on his leader's shoulder. "… maybe you were brought back to cure the Hate Plague. Maybe you were brought back to fight Galvatron. Or maybe…"

Optimus looked over at him with interest.

"…maybe you were brought back to give me a break," Hot Rod finished, smiling as he did so. A smile slowly spread across Optimus' face, the expression clear beneath his faceplate. Both Hot Rod and Optimus shared a 'leader chuckle', something that neither had been able to do before now. Optimus put the Matrix back in his chestplate.

"Did you learn that from Kup?"

"What?"

"The ability to knock sense into Autobot leaders. Ironhide was skilled in it as well."

"You know, I had Ironhide pegged as the kind of guy that you'd be afraid of."

Optimus looked over at him, an optic ridge raised. "Who said I was afraid of him?"

Hot Rod raised his hands in a defensive position. "No-one. He just scared the slag out of me, is all."

Optimus laughed. "Well, he could always beat me at arm wrestling."

Hot Rod raised an optic ridge, smiling slightly as he did do. "'Arm wrestling'?"

"Yes, it's an Earth game, where-"

Optimus was interrupted by the sound of metallic footsteps heading towards them at high speed. Optimus stood, his rifle at the ready. Brainstorm leapt in, and Hot Rod had to resist the urge to flinch in surprise.

"The Decepticons are closing in."

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"Mighty Galvatron!"

"Don't yell, you moron! I'm right next to you!"

Scourge flinched slightly at the angry tone of Galvatron's voice. It seemed that no matter what he did, even after his miraculous transformation, Galvatron just seemed to have a certain… distaste for him. He didn't understand why Cyclonus was exempt from such treatment and not him. He passed the macro goggles to his leader.

"The patrols are converging on one location," he said, and Galvatron took the goggles to be sure.

"He's right," Galvatron said, passing the goggles on to Cyclonus. He peered through them, then tossed them back to Scourge.

"Do you think they've find Prime?" he asked, looking over at his leader. Galvatron grinned.

"Let's find out."

They took to the air, and Scourge waited behind for a moment. "But, mighty Galvatron… aren't we supposed to maintain a perimeter?"

Galvatron smiled. "You're absolutely right. You stay here."

Galvatron and Cyclonus began to fly away, when Galvatron suddenly stopped. "_Both_ of you," he said bluntly, and Scourge almost laughed out loud at the look on Cyclonus' face.

"But… mighty Galvatron…"

"If Prime _is _down there, I want him for myself."

"But, mighty Galvatron…"

"Go!"

Cyclonus floated back to Scourge, and turned to look at their leader as he sailed towards the asteroid below them.

"I don't understand… if he destroys Optimus Prime, then Onslaught will presume that he is victorious and take control of the Decepticons…"

Scourge smirked. "Are you sure you're not just feeling bad because he didn't want you to go with him?"

Cyclonus scowled at him. "Shut up and do something useful, Scourge."

Scourge offered a mock salute, still smirking. "Of course, sir. We have perimeters to maintain, after all."

He marched away, and Cyclonus frowned. Why had Galvatron snapped at him like that? What was he going to gain from going after Optimus Prime alone?

He wondered if Galvatron wasn't so sane after all.

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(A/N: Thank you for your reviews, but don't stop now. Did you enjoy this chapter? Did you hate this chapter? Review.)


	7. Back to Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of the characters in this fic: Hasbro does.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter Seven: Back to Reality**_

Optimus peeked around the corner, trying his utmost to remain hidden while he looked for Decepticons. Finding none, he darted from behind the outcropping of rock to another that was further ahead in the dark tunnel. He made a quick gesture with his hand, and Brainstorm moved forward to the rock that Optimus had been crouched behind just before. He carried the offline form of Hot Rod on his shoulders, and Optimus frowned. Hot Rod's energon supplies had dipped so low that they had had little choice but to put him in stasis lock until they escaped. Optimus was growing more and more concerned that they wouldn't be able to find their way out of this maze of tunnels before Hot Rod died, let alone get through the Decepticons that waited for them on the surface.

He banished the thought from his mind as he saw Brainstorm looking to him for guidance. He looked up the tunnel, and yet again finding no Decepticons, he darted forward, this time putting his back to the wall and withdrawing his rifle from subspace. His audio receptors picked up something around the corner, and he gestured for Brainstorm to get down. Optimus prepared himself.

"And another thing-"

"All right, that's it! I've had enough. I've tried to listen. I've tried to be polite. I've tried to ignore you. But… nothing… works. So please SHUT UP before someone hears us!"

Optimus recognised the voices of the Aerialbots Slingshot and Skydive. He sighed and shook his head, a small smile beneath his faceplate. The two turned the corner and pulled out their weapons as they spotted him, but quickly lowered them when they recognised him.

"Prime! You're all right!" Skydive said, and Slingshot frowned.

"Where've you been?" he asked, some irritation in his voice.

"Busy," Optimus replied, tilting his head back to indicate Brainstorm and the wounded Hot Rod. Slingshot promptly shut his mouth, and Skydive let out a bark of laughter, prompting his companion to shoot him a dirty look. Skydive shrugged happily and walked over to Brainstorm, helping him to carry Hot Rod by putting one of Hot Rod's arms over his shoulder. Brainstorm did the same and nodded to Skydive.

"Thanks," he said, the relief in his voice apparent. Optimus winced, regretting having made the Autobot carry Hot Rod the whole way. He looked at Slingshot.

"Any word from the others?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but it was Skydive who answered. Optimus turned to look at him.

"We received a coded transmission from Silverbolt, telling us to stay where we were until they could get reinforcements. But _someone _insisted on finding some Decepticons to… how did you put it? 'Blast and Smash'?"

Optimus turned back to look at Slingshot, who was again shooting Skydive a glare. He glanced up at Optimus sheepishly.

"What? Just because I didn't want to sit around…"

Optimus sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. Hot Rod's energon supplies are dangerously low; if we don't get him some medical attention soon, he _will _die. Where did you just come from? Did you see any passages to the surface?"

Slingshot nodded. "One or two, but we kinda tried to steer clear of them."

Skydive's head shot up. "You mean you were paying attention during the complaints?" he admonished mockingly. Slingshot smiled sarcastically.

Optimus nodded. "All right. Lead the way, Slingshot."

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Onslaught stood above the asteroid with both hands behind his back, tapping his fingers rhythmically. One would have assumed he was deep in thought about the Autobot's whereabouts, but the true cause of his anxiousness came from another source: Galvatron. He wondered whether he would be able to destroy the Autobots this way. He knew full well that if Prime were to die again, the morale of the Autobots would sink into an all time low; Onslaught had been almost elated to see that Prime had brought Hot Rod with him as well. Not only would Prime be dead, but any chance of a successor would be quashed along with Hot Rod's death.

But, as was usually the case for the Decepticons, things didn't go according to plan. He could now understand why Megatron would become so incensed at the continual interference of the Autobots. Onslaught shook his head. He was just glad Starscream wasn't here.

"Problems, Onslaught?"

He whirled to find Galvatron stood behind him. He relaxed and turned back to his view of the asteroid, being careful to make sure he knew where Galvatron was. He still wasn't sure that this sudden change in attitude was permanent, or even real.

"You're supposed to be scouting the perimeter."

Galvatron walked up until he was stood alongside the Combaticon. He smiled and shrugged. "I think Cyclonus and Scourge can handle that, don't you? And besides," he said, his smirk growing, "don't you want me to see the death of Optimus Prime in person? At your hands, of course."

"Indeed," Onslaught said quietly, keeping his optics on the asteroid. "Are you sure you're not just worried that I may succeed?"

Galvatron laughed briefly. "Of course I'm not, Onslaught. Do you know why?"

Onslaught looked over at him nonchalantly. "I don't know, Galvatron. Why?"

Galvatron leaned close to him, and Onslaught began to feel uncomfortable, being in such close proximity to his leader. "Because Prime can crush you," he said, raising his hand, "like that," he said, snapping his fingers as he did so.

Onslaught ducked slightly at the snapping noise, and Galvatron's smile grew stronger. He turned back to the asteroid. "Just don't let him get his hands on you. The last thing you want is an angry Optimus Prime coming at you."

He pushed himself up off the ground and proceeded to float away. Onslaught watched him go, hate and anger burning in his optics. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he _was _worried about what Prime could do to him. Onslaught, while not exactly an inconsiderable fighter, was no match for an angry Optimus Prime. Or even an angry Rodimus Prime. What if one of the Autobots had been killed? What if Optimus had been killed and Rodimus was coming for him? He shook the cowardly thoughts from his head.

_If Galvatron can fight them, then so can I._

His communicator bleeped angrily, and he pushed the receive button.

"Onslaught."

Brawl's voice exploded from the communicator, surrounded in static. _"Onslaught! Get your rusty chassis down here! We've found Prime!"_

"I'm on my way. Tell the Predacons and the other Combaticons to meet us there."

"_Right. Brawl out."_

Onslaught smiled beneath his faceplate, all previous doubts gone with the excitement of an upcoming battle. As much as he liked to plan and prepare, he was still a Decepticon through and through, and couldn't resist the allure of an all out battle from time to time. He looked down at the modified cannon that the Constructicons had built for him, and briefly considered not taking it, considering how low its energon pack was. He shook his head and picked up the weapon. He pushed himself off the ground and headed for the asteroid, where he could already hear and see the flashing of weapons fire.

All it would take is one good shot, and Prime would be dead.

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"Some plan," Slingshot muttered, ducking a laser blast from Vortex and firing back with one of his own. Optimus ignored his angry mumbling and fired off a volley of shots that caused all of the firing Decepticons to duck under cover. Optimus took the opportunity to duck himself, and turned to Brainstorm.

"How is he?" he said, nodding at the offline form of Hot Rod. Brainstorm shook his head.

"Not good. We haven't got much time."

Optimus frowned and nodded. He turned to Skydive. "How's the signal?"

Skydive checked his wrist communicator and pushed a few buttons. "It works, but only short range."

Optimus muttered a curse and ducked his head as an energon grenade exploded nearby. Without coming up from behind the outcropping of rock behind which they were taking cover, Optimus lifted his rifle and fired blindly ahead, hoping to stop the onslaught of laser fire for a little bit longer. The laser fire subsided slightly, and Optimus again turned to Skydive.

"Try sending a message to Silverbolt."

Skydive nodded and got to work. He knew as well as Optimus did that if Superion were here, he would tip the scales in a second. Optimus bowed his head slightly.

_As long as Onslaught doesn't use that weapon again._

"Skydive to Silverbolt. Silverbolt, do you read?"

There was static for a few moments, and Optimus was about to give up hope when a voice responded through the communicator.

"_Skydive… you, lad?"_

Optimus optics widened. "Kup?"

Skydive nodded. "Sounds like it." He looked back down at his communicator. "Kup, I don't know where you are, but we could use some help."

"_On… way. Just… on a… longer."_

"We'll try," Skydive said.

"_Good… lad."_

And with that, the signal cut out. Whether because Kup cancelled it, or the interference became too much, Optimus wasn't sure. But now he had something to aim for. Reinforcements were on the way. He looked over at Hot Rod, and hoped that he would survive long enough.

_He's not done yet._

Optimus face knitted in determination as he looked over at Slingshot. "Slingshot," he said, gesturing with a nod of his head for Slingshot to join him. The Aerialbot nodded and fired off a few shots before jogging over to him quickly. He crouched in front of Optimus.

"I'm going to distract them away from Brainstorm and Hot Rod; I'll need you to come out with me and cover me. Understood?"

Slingshot grinned in anticipation and nodded. "Oh yeah."

"Skydive?" Optimus said, looking over Slingshot's shoulder at the tactician. He turned towards Optimus.

"Sir?"

"Stay here with Brainstorm and Hot Rod. I'm entrusting them to you."

Skydive nodded. "Yes sir."

"Brainstorm?"

Brainstorm looked up from his feverish work on Hot Rod. "Yes?" he said, his voice impatient. For split second, Optimus could see Ratchet knelt in front of Hot Rod, irritated by Optimus' interrupting him.

"Keep him alive as long as you can."

Brainstorm nodded quickly and turned back to his work. Optimus shook the déjà vu from his head, and turned to Slingshot.

"Ready?"

"I was built ready."

Optimus nodded and stood, firing off a barrage of laser fire that made the Decepticons once again duck for cover. He turned to Slingshot.

"Go!"

Slingshot transformed and took to the air with a loud 'yee-haw', firing wildly in all directions as he went. Vortex was soon transformed and in pursuit, and Optimus resisted the urge to shoot him down, reminding himself that Slingshot was supposed to be distracting the other Decepticons. He transformed and took off as fast his alternate mode would allow. He heard some orders being yelled in the distance, and the Predacons were on him soon enough. He ignored their attacks as best he could, grunting in pain as their lasers sliced into his trailer section. He slowed slightly as he went uphill, and he pushed himself over, freeing him from danger of being hit by a stray laser blast from the Combaticons. As far as he could tell, the only Decepticons here were the Combaticons, the Predacons, Cyclonus, Scourge, and his Sweeps. It only made him more curious as to the whereabouts of Galvatron.

He transformed into robot mode, bringing his rifle out of subspace as he did so. The Predacons stopped in front of him, stood in a group. One stepped forward, and from the reports he had seen and read, Optimus identified him as Razorclaw, the leader of the Predacons. He transformed into his robot mode and pulled out his sword.

"So _you _the great Optimus Prime," he snarled. "I not impressed."

Optimus remained silent. Razorclaw tilted his head. "No talking? Good. I get sick of Autobots who just talk. It about time there was one who took this seriously."

Optimus still didn't say or do anything. He just remained perfectly still, waiting for them to make a move. He was tempted to simply fire the rifle and blow a hole right through Razorclaw's chest, but something stopped him. Suddenly, Razorclaw leapt forward, knocking Optimus rifle from his hands before he had a chance to do anything.

_Primus, he's fast._

Razorclaw sneered derisively, bringing his sword up to cut through Optimus' head. Optimus jumped back, and Razorclaw, having put all of his weight into the swing, stumbled forward slightly. The other Predacons laughed, and Razorclaw growled. He charged Optimus yet again, leaping into the air as he did so. He brought his sword back above his head, and let out a loud battle cry as he descended. Optimus waited until he was almost on top of him, and then moved to his left. Razorclaw landed next to him, sending a cloud of dust up around him. Optimus swiped his leg out, knocking Razorclaw off his feet and on to his back.

Optimus brought his fist down on the Predacon's head, but ended up punching solid ground as Razorclaw flipped to his feet and out of the way of Optimus' blow. Optimus stood to his full height.

"Done?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Razorclaw laughed.

"Not yet."

He moved forward, and Optimus prepared himself to fight again when the beeping of Razorclaw's communicator interrupted them. Onslaught's enraged voice came through.

"_What are you doing over there? Have you killed Prime or not? Report!"_

Razorclaw ignored the question, continuing his charge at Optimus. Just before he reached the Autobot leader, he leapt over him, slicing his sword at Optimus' head as he went. Optimus ducked the sword and quickly turned to face his landing enemy, greeting him with an uppercut to the chin. Razorclaw was sent flying back, and he landed with a heavy metallic thud on an outcropping of rock. His sword was sent skittering away, and he snarled at Optimus yet again, who merely raised an optic ridge.

"I don't need sword to kill you."

He pushed himself to his feet and transformed into his alternate mode, which was that of an Earth lion. He stalked forward and encircled Optimus, who turned and followed every step he made. Razorclaw froze for an instant, and then leapt forward, knocking Optimus on his back. Razorclaw attempted to bite at Optimus face, and the Autobot leader moved his head from left to right to avoid the razor sharp teeth. He grabbed Razorclaw's neck, and, using all his strength, dug his fingers into the metallic chassis of his opponent. He slammed Razorclaw into the ground beside him and stood, quickly jumping down onto the Decepticon with his elbow extended. Optimus smiled beneath his faceplate.

_I suppose Sideswipe and Sunstreaker constantly watching human wrestling has its advantages._

There was a loud clanging noise as Optimus' elbow bent the metal of Razorclaw's chassis. Optimus stood and grabbed Razorclaw's legs, lifting him over his head and slamming him into the ground. He slammed him onto his opposite side, and then proceeded to twirl with the Predacon still in his grasp. He waited until he was aimed at the other Predacons, then let him go, sending him bowling into the group of Decepticons. They ran out of the way, letting their leader crash painfully to the ground. Optimus walked over to his laser rifle and picked it up, checking it over for damage.

Grunting in pain, Razorclaw slowly transformed, his gears churning as they attempted to shift the dented parts of his chassis. Finally, with a pained roar, Razorclaw emerged in robot mode again.

"Predacons," he hissed, "unite!"

The others transformed instantly with a speed that only intense training could have instilled in them. However, someone didn't transform: Razorclaw. He stood, grunting as he attempted to transform, but his dented chassis wouldn't allow it. The others transformed back to robot mode, looking slightly confused as they looked at their damaged leader. He growled in frustration.

"Don't stare at me! Attack!" he said, leading a charge towards Optimus. Optimus rolled forward, firing laser blasts left and right as he darted between the five Decepticons. They were consecutively thrown backwards by the blasts, landing with a heavy thud on their backs, their chassis' smoking as they groaned in pain before their systems went offline and put them in stasis lock. Optimus stood and reloaded his rifle.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar whine of Onslaught's weapon, and turned to see him stood on an outcropping of rock in the distance. Optimus fired off a few stray shots in Onslaught's direction with his rifle as he retreated. He ran in a straight line until he heard the whine disappear, which he had come to guess was the precursor to a discharge. He quickly darted to his right, and, sure enough, the ground beneath where he was stood exploded, sending him flying forward. He landed roughly on the ground and scrambled to take cover behind an outcropping of rock. He turned to look at the hole left behind him; it was smaller than before.

_The weapon must be losing power._

He looked up over the outcropping of rock and tried to see Onslaught in the distance. But he saw something else approaching; an Autobot shuttle. He smiled beneath his faceplate and crouched down, activating his wrist communicator. Kup's face appeared on the small monitor.

"_Prime! Are you all right?" _

"I'm fine, but Hot Rod needs medical attention, now."

He heard the whine of Onslaught's weapon.

"I could use some backup as well."

Kup smiled. _"All taken care of."_

The whine suddenly stopped, and Optimus chanced a peek over the outcropping in time to see Grimlock snapping Onslaught's new weapon in half on his knee. Optimus couldn't help but be amused at the sight before him, as every attack that Onslaught attempted was swatted away by the Dinobot. He turned and saw Defensor being dropped from the shuttle, as well as the remaining Aerialbots.

_They must have been picked up by Kup._

He stood and was about to make his way to the battlefield when a voice interrupted him.

"Where are you going, Prime?"

He turned to see the smirking form of Galvatron looking down at him, stood with his arms crossed on the outcropping that Optimus had taken cover behind. He raised an optic ridge.

"So, you are alive. I thought Onslaught had led a mutiny and killed you."

Galvatron laughed. "That idiot?" he said, gesturing over his shoulder to where Grimlock was still dismissing every one of Onslaught's offensives. Galvatron hopped down from the outcropping, landing in front of Optimus.

"I thought you knew me better than that, Prime."

"That depends on who I'm talking to."

Galvatron smiled and nodded. "I would expect no less of you, Prime. Rest assured, you are talking to your old adversary, not the out of control maniac you have no doubt heard of."

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Indeed?"

Galvatron nodded, and his smile grew into a smirk. He began to flex his joints, and removed his cannon. "So, shall we begin? I have to admit, I'm curious to see how the new body will compare in battle with you."

Optimus threw his rifle to the floor. "According to Rodimus, you obtained a substantial strength increase from Unicron."

Galvatron raised an amused optic ridge. "Is that right?"

Optimus nodded, and there was suddenly no more talk. They circled each other like wild animals, each one waiting for the other to make a move.

Optimus went first. His right fist shot out towards Galvatron, who blocked with his left arm, returning the blow with his right. Optimus ducked to his right, grabbing Galvatron's wrist and turning into Galvatron. He pulled the arm and tossed Galvatron over his shoulder. Galvatron landed on his feet and shot out his left leg, hitting Optimus in the grille area of his torso. Optimus stumbled back from the blow, and Galvatron jumped in the air, bringing his leg around for a kick to the head. Optimus grabbed the leg and threw Galvatron again, this time throwing him towards the outcropping of rock. Galvatron slammed into the rock with a loud clang and slid to the floor.

The two leaders remained motionless, the only noise being the distant chirping of laser fire and the dull thuds of the Gestalts trading blows.

Then Galvatron smiled. Then he began to laugh. Optimus didn't respond as Galvatron leapt to his feet and retrieved his cannon, reattaching it to his arm. Optimus gradually did similarly, walking over to his rifle and checking it over.

"Quite a test, eh?"

Optimus nodded slowly, looking at his old enemy. "Quite a test."

"I just wanted to be sure."

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Sure of what?"

Galvatron looked at him, a smirk on his face and in his optics. He raised his wrist communicator to his mouth, still looking at Optimus. "Decepticons, this is Galvatron. Onslaught has failed. Retreat. I repeat, Decepticons, retreat."

He hovered upwards and looked down at Prime for a moment. "Until next time, Prime." He turned and flew away, quickly being joined by the forms of Cyclonus and Scourge with his Sweeps. Optimus heard the laser fire die down and gradually saw the Decepticons leave one by one. Onslaught was the last to leave, though he was missing his backpack module.

"Until next time," Optimus said quietly. He heard footsteps trudging towards him in the newfound silence and turned to see Grimlock walking up to him, something in his hand. He lifted the object up, and Optimus smiled when he recognised the crumpled remains of Onslaught's backpack unit. He looked up at Grimlock, who just shrugged.

"Gift from Onslaught."

Optimus let out a laugh and turned, patting Grimlock on the shoulder. "Let's go," he said, nodding in the direction of the shuttle landing site. As they trudged further along, Optimus eventually saw that everyone was all right, no worse for wear. He always felt lucky for such privileges. First Aid was tending to Hot Rod, who was now online again. Upon spotting Optimus in the distance, he gave him a weak smile and a shaky thumbs up. Optimus returned the unfamiliar gesture as best he could, prompting a fit of laughter from the weakened young Autobot. Optimus and Grimlock stood back and watched the Autobots slowly gather themselves and head into the shuttle.

Once everybody was on board and waiting, they walked towards the shuttle.

"So," Grimlock said slowly. "What you and Galvatron talk about?"

Optimus paused for a moment as he looked at the Dinobot leader. "There wasn't much talking."

Grimlock nodded. "I see."

Optimus noticed that Grimlock was looking at him as they walked along, and he looked over at the Dinobot with a raised optic ridge. "Is something wrong, Grimlock?"

"You laughed."

Optimus tilted his head slightly. "Come again?"

"Earlier. Me never hear you laugh before. It strange noise." Grimlock let out a grunt of laughter. "Me suppose that dying put things in perspective for you."

Optimus laughed and nodded. "You have no idea, Grimlock." They walked back to the shuttle, and Grimlock walked up the ramp. Optimus paused at the bottom, looking back across the ravaged asteroid. He saw the hole that he, Hot Rod and Brainstorm had fallen down. He remembered Hot Rod's words, and how they had put things in perspective for him. He smiled wide.

"You have no idea…"

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(A/N: Since I can't respond to your reviews here, I'd just like to say thank you for reviewing, and keep on reviewing. And speaking of reviewing… review this and tell me what you thought.

And don't worry, there's more to come – remember:

'It's not over until…'

Actually, I can't think of a fat Transformer, so I'll have to go with:

'It's not over till the fat femme sings'.)


	8. Looking Forward

Disclaimer: Transformers and all related characters aren't mine; they belong to Hasbro.

_**Mixed Feelings**_

_**Chapter Eight: Looking Forward**_

_Galvatron_

The heavy metal door slid open, and Galvatron stepped through slowly, surmising the situation in front of him. Razorclaw had been badly damaged in the battle, mostly because of the sound beating Prime had administered to said Predacon leader. Galvatron smiled and shook his head, both impressed by his bravery and irritated by his stupidity. The Deception leader couldn't understand how Razorclaw thought that he had any kind of a chance against him. Primus, Galvatron remembered one instance when _Rodimus _Prime beat him, so how could he think that _Optimus _Prime would be any different?

He looked around the repair bay, seeing that the Combaticons were largely undamaged, with the rather amusing exception of Onslaught, who was in a considerable amount of pain after Grimlock ripped off his backpack unit. He smirked and walked over to the Combaticon leader. Scrapper looked up from his repair work on Onslaught and almost stepped back. Galvatron gave the Constructicon a nod, and he quickly left to work on Rampage, who was giving Hook quite a bit of trouble. Onslaught sat up on the repair platform and looked up at Galvatron.

"Come to gloat?"

Galvatron removed the smirk from his face. "Not at all. I merely wished to see how _my_ troops were recovering."

Onslaught remained silent, and Galvatron wondered what emotion was burning in the Combaticon's optics. Anger? Hate? Shame? All of them amused Galvatron immensely.

"So? How are you? Did the Dinobot do any permanent damage?"

Galvatron could see Onslaught's jaw grinding beneath his faceplate.

"Nothing," he said, looking up at his leader. "Sir."

Galvatron nodded. "Very good. You will be happy to hear that your damage was not in vain."

"What do you mean?" Onslaught said, his voice suspicious.

"Let us just say that I did not have… complete faith in your ability to defeat the Autobots. So… I took matters into my own hands. While you hunted Optimus Prime and his troops, I sent Soundwave and Astrotrain to the Autobot prison on Cybertron."

Onslaught's head moved slightly back in surprise. "But Starscream destroyed the prison when he-"

"Freed you? No. He killed quite a few imprisoned Decepticon criminals, yes. But there were still many that were waiting to be freed. And, after some… persuasion, they decided to abandon their homicidal tendencies and joined the Decepticons."

Onslaught's visor darkened. "You mean you brainwashed them."

"Call it what you want, Onslaught. The point is, we have more troops, in powerful new bodies. And _that _is what will help us to defeat the Autobots."

Galvatron turned to leave, but then stopped short. "Oh, and Onslaught?"

The Decepticon quickly turned, pulling an energon knife from a compartment on his body. He slashed viciously through Onslaught's visor and into his right optic, sending sparks and shattered glass flying everywhere. Onslaught screamed in pain as he fell to the floor. Galvatron grabbed the Combaticon's head, embedding his thumb into the empty socket where Onslaught's optic had once been. The Combaticon let out a moan of agony, and Galvatron lowered his head so it was directly next to Onslaught's audio receiver.

"Never… question me… again," he said, his voice barely a whisper. He roughly tossed Onslaught to the floor, who cradled his optic as energon leaked onto the floor. Galvatron stepped through the door of the repair bay, and turned to look at Scrapper, who had a disapproving and tired look on his face. Galvatron pointed at the broken form of Onslaught on the floor.

"Leave him. I'll come back and repair him later."

Scrapper's face changed to one of amazement, not sure whether he had just heard those words come from his leader.

"Uh… yes… sir."

Galvatron nodded, and, with one quick look around the repair bay, turned and left. He was quickly joined by Cyclonus, who Galvatron had told to wait outside. He didn't need him getting in the way of his vengeance on Onslaught.

"How are the new Decepticons faring?" he said, continuing to look forward as Cyclonus handed him a datapad.

"They are proceeding much more rapidly than anticipated. Although some have been causing more trouble than others; most notably Apeface and Misfire. The former because of his aggressive tendencies, and the latter because… his aim is atrocious."

Galvatron raised an optic ridge. "How atrocious?"

Cyclonus paused before answering. "So far he has managed to hit Scourge and Motormaster fifteen times."

Galvatron let out a roar of laughter, and stopped walking as they reached the elevator. He pushed a button and waited for it to arrive.

"Why have we got Motormaster and Scourge training them?" Galvatron asked, handing the datapad back to his second in command.

"Everyone else is either _being _repaired or is _doing _the repairing."

Galvatron shook his head in disgust. "We need to co-ordinate our efforts. We'll get nowhere like this. We will discuss a duty roster later."

Cyclonus nodded, making a note on his datapad. The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped in. Galvatron pushed the button for his chambers.

"Just make sure that Scourge is given overall command of the new recruits. He needs something to wake him up. And separate him from the Sweeps; he relies on them too much."

Cyclonus nodded. "I agree… it shall be done, Galvatron."

The doors opened, and the two walked to the Galvatron's chambers. He turned to his second in command.

"Come in, Cyclonus; I have something to discuss with you."

Galvatron slowly walked to the viewport that overlooked the bustling form of Trypticon in his city mode. He remained silent and simply enjoyed the view, not concerned with the strange look he could feel Cyclonus giving him.

He had returned. He felt so free. The random spasms of pain were gone, as was the irrational anger and fear that had accompanied it. It ashamed Galvatron to think that he had felt such emotions, but he had. He had been afraid that he was leading his Decepticons to ruin. He had remembered the days of Megatron and worried that those times were dead and gone. The thought that he would still someday by named ruler of Cybertron… the galaxy…

It brought a smile to his face.

"Mighty Galvatron…?"

Galvatron turned from his musings to see his second in command looking at him with an optic ridge raised. Galvatron put a hand on the Decepticons shoulder and led him over to the desk.

"Please, have a seat, Cyclonus."

He sat slowly, still looking unsure of his leader. Galvatron removed his cannon and sat on his side of the desk.

"Tell me, Cyclonus. Have you ever heard of 'The Plasma Energy Chamber'?"

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_Optimus Prime_

_The Plasma Energy Chamber…_

_The key…_

_It is the key… to a miracle…_

_Optimus stepped forward, his arm outstretched, trying to feel something in the mist surrounding him._

"_Alpha Trion?"_

_An Autobot appeared before him. Optimus didn't recognise him. He was almost equal to Optimus in height, his face completely concealed by both a visor and a face plate. His bulk suggested a warrior, but his demeanour suggested a personality both gentle and strong. His black and white chassis shimmered in the mist, and faded away._

"_Wait… who are you?"_

"_Prime."_

_Optimus turned at the sudden noise to see Spike stood in front of him, his usually small human frame rivalling Optimus' own._

"_Spike?"_

"Prime? You there?"

Spike's image faded away as the mist sifted from view. Optimus' optics looked from left to right in a daze, and Optimus suddenly felt unsure of where he was. He looked around and slowly recognised his office. He felt a certain amount of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Prime? Yoo-hoo… You okay?"

The Autobot leader looked down to see Spike Witwicky waving at him from the ground. Optimus shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Spike. My mind… drifted. What were you saying?"

He wasn't sure what to make of what he had just seen. The only times that he had seen such things was when he had travelled into the Matrix.

_But the Matrix is…_

Spike raised an eyebrow. "I was saying that it's Daniel's birthday soon, and it would mean the world to him if you could come."

Optimus nodded absent-mindedly. "Of course…" he shook his head. "Uh… yes, Spike. It would be my pleasure."

Spike smiled. "Great. We could catch up too. I haven't had a chance to talk to you since you came back." He paused for a moment, then laughed and shook his head.

Optimus looked at his human friend with understanding optics. "Feels odd to say it, doesn't it?"

Spike nodded, laughing nervously. "It's not something that's easy to get used to."

"I know what you mean…"

Spike smiled. "Well, I've still got some birthday plans to arrange, so I'll be off."

Optimus nodded. "I have some work to take care of as well."

"Just don't drift off again, or you won't get anything done."

Optimus smiled beneath his faceplate and picked up a datapad.

"Oh, one more thing."

Optimus looked up from his datapad.

"I really want Hot Rod to come too, but I can't seem to find him anywhere. Would you mind using your _influence_ and getting him?" he said, saying 'influence' with a particularly villainous tone.

"I'll see what I can do," Optimus said, his smile widening beneath his faceplate. Spike nodded and left. Optimus shook his head and got back to his datapad. It always amazed him how comfortable Spike and Daniel walked among the Autobots as if there were nothing amiss. Even now, most humans were quite uncomfortable walking with Transformers, fearful that one misstep would quickly end their life. Carly was especially wary of this where Daniel was involved. Of course, Optimus knew that was impossible; inbuilt proximity detectors prevented such mishaps. The only humans that were remotely comfortable with them were Spike, Carly, Daniel…

Sparkplug…

Optimus put down his datapad and looked out over Cybertron through his viewport. He missed Sparkplug as though he had known him for the same amount of time he had known Ironhide, Prowl and the others. To Optimus, he had known the human for an incredibly small amount of time, yet he had touched his life in ways he had no idea was possible. He remembered the day that Spike had told them of Sparkplug's death. Ratchet had taken it the hardest. He had simply disappeared to the repair bay for months before slowly making his way back out.

Not even Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had managed to break his depressed demeanour. Of course, their theory of making him feel better by getting him mad at them probably wasn't the best idea. But Optimus rarely thought what they did was a good idea, although he had learnt to appreciate what they contributed to the Autobots besides their considerable fighting skill.

Another odd addition to the humans that Optimus hadn't met before was Marissa Fairbourne, who not only didn't fear the Transformers; she threw herself into the thick of them whenever possible. Even Spike in his reckless days knew better than to get in the middle of a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. But Fairbourne… Optimus had to admit, she was impressive. He grunted as he realised that he was due for another meeting with said Earth government operative tomorrow.

In fact, it was for that very reason that he was filling out a datapad; it was his overdue report. Marissa had made an offhand remark about how Rodimus was always on time with reports, and Optimus had been given pause at that. Quite simply, Optimus just wasn't used to filling out reports anymore, rather receiving and reading them. Hot Rod probably had an advantage in that area when he became leader. Optimus was still adapting to the concept of deadlines and meetings with dignitaries and representatives. It boggled the mind how many different trade agreements the Autobots had made in his absence. He gave one last brief glance at the datapad that was strewn on his desk before heading for the door.

He would finish it later; right now he wanted to find Hot Rod. Ultra Magnus wouldn't approve, but if there was one advantage to being Autobot leader, it was being able to ignore disapproving glares from second in commands with ease. He stepped out and saw Blaster working at a control panel, tapping his feet and tilting his head to the music that he was playing on his own private audio channel. Optimus walked over to him Blaster pushed a button on his front to lower the volume.

"Hey Prime. What can I do for ya?"

"Could you locate Hot Rod for me?"

Blaster grinned as he pushed a few buttons on the control panel to carry out Optimus' request. "The young 'Bot in trouble again?"

"Not yet," Optimus said cautiously. It was entirely possible Hot Rod was getting up to something that would be considered questionable, but he didn't want to assume the worst instantly. He reserved that right for the Lamborghini twins. The control panel bleeped. Blaster's happy demeanour faded slightly.

"He's uh… in the mausoleum."

Optimus nodded slowly, and left. Once outside, he transformed and headed in the direction of the mausoleum, enjoying the feeling of the surface speeding away beneath him. Hot Rod _could _have taken Brainstorm there, but Optimus doubted it. The new Autobot recruits were being trained as a group at this exact moment, and he didn't think that Hot Rod would pull him out to show him Autobots passed. Optimus was particularly proud of Brainstorm; he mentally reminded himself to put the bright young Autobot in for a commendation. Once their training was finished, Optimus was most definitely putting him on his personal crew.

He pulled up the front of the building and transformed. He only then just realised that he hadn't been here since his return. He stepped in slightly sheepishly, only imagining Ratchet and Ironhide's grumblings about how it took him this long to visit. The heavy doors opened automatically upon his approach, and Optimus stepped forward, seeing names of Autobots long gone by. For each name, there was a golden statue, each one the exact size of said Autobots. It made them seem all the more magnificent in Optimus' optics. It allowed them to stand on their own accomplishments; to humbly stand before whoever saw them and say that they didn't need towering statues to make them seem great.

Optimus walked along the Autobots until he came across a name he did recognise; Sentinel Prime. His predecessor, and great Autobot leader. Greater than him, anyway. Optimus wondered why so many referred to him as being such a great Prime, when Sentinel was vastly superior to him in so many ways.

The next name was Alpha Trion. His recent vision still fresh in his mind, Optimus lightly touched the nameplate.

_Alpha Trion… _

His optics drifted over to his right and he saw Ironhide stood in front of him, his chassis gleaming golden in the light of the mausoleum. A determined scowl adorned his face as he looked at some unknown enemy. Optimus sighed and walked to the statue.

"Well, old friend. I suppose you think I've taken my 'sweet time'," he said, adopting his old friends drawling accent. He sighed.

"I'm sorry for that. I've been busy. You've left me with quite a lot of work to do by myself. And… I suppose I've been avoiding coming here."

He looked around the mausoleum. "Kup's fine. I think the new recruits are giving him a run for his money. I've seen Chromia, too. After my return, she seems to think that you'll come back any day now. With how stubborn you are, that wouldn't surprise me."

He looked to the right and saw a statue of Prowl, his arms crossed in front of him. Optimus had seen that stance many times before, usually when the twins had done something wrong or otherwise destructive. He had even been on the receiving end of that look himself, when he became too involved in his work and refused to go and recharge.

"And you, Prowl?" Optimus let out a grunt of laughter. "I think you've taken over Ultra Magnus' body. He's been keeping a tight leash on me most of the time."

His mind lingered on the report briefly.

"It's very different than when you were here. Now _I'm _filling out the reports." He smiled. "Never thought you'd see the day, I suppose."

He wondered what else Prowl would want to know about. "Jazz is still his same happy self… though he seems a bit more serious now. You must have rubbed off on him."

He turned to the next statue, which had Ratchet with a scowl on his face and his hands on his hips. Optimus almost burst out laughing, remembering how many times he had seen Ratchet yelling at someone while adopting that very stance.

"How are they treating you there, Ratchet? I suppose there's something that doesn't meet with your approval. The twins are fine. They're on damage control, if you can believe that. I couldn't understand how it happened when Goldbug told me."

He snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's right, you don't know; Bumblebee is Goldbug now. But I'm sure you all know that already."

His voice took on a more mournful tone as he continued. "It doesn't seem like all of you to simply die and leave. Especially not you, Ratchet. I'm sure you've been looking forward to haunting the twins for quite some time," he said, a slight smile tugging at his mouth beneath his faceplate.

Movement in the corner of his optic interrupted Optimus' thoughts. Hot Rod walked over and stood next to him. He turned and looked over at the statue of Ratchet.

Silence filled the mausoleum.

"What are you doing here?" Optimus asked, keeping his optics on the statue.

Hot Rod sighed, keeping his mouth closed. "I'm not sure where I'm going. I was hoping that by looking to the Autobots that came before me, I'd be able to…" Hot Rod chuckled slightly. "Well. I didn't. So… what brings you here?"

"I have a request to make of you. Two, actually."

Hot Rod raised an optic ridge.

"One: Come to Daniel's birthday party."

"And two?"

"Two… I want you to take over from Kup as official trainer of the new recruits."

Hot Rod did a double take. "What? Me? Why?"

"Because you need it. Because you can do it. And because…" he turned to face the young Autobot.

"…Because you're the best Autobot for the job."

Hot Rod nodded slowly, as if only just comprehending what was going on. He quickly shook it off, then smiled. "Okay… but first, I've got a request for you."

"Which would be?"

"Assign Springer to active duty."

"Springer?" Optimus asked, an optic ridge raised.

"Yeah. Y'know, green triple changer?"

Optimus nodded. "I know who is, I just want to know why."

Hot Rod seemed taken aback by this. "Oh. Well. I just… think he wants some front line activity."

Optimus smiled. "Is that right?"

Hot Rod nodded.

"Well, it just so happens that Springer contacted _me _the other day and asked me for something with a bit more responsibility."

An optic ridge rose on Hot Rod's face, and he seemed slightly amused. "Is that right?"

Optimus nodded, and Hot Rod shook his head in disbelief.

"Well I'll be damned… he does believe the slogan…"

"Come again?"

Hot Rod waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind."

Optimus smiled and nodded towards the door. "Come on. The trainees need to meet their new commander."

They walked to the doors, and Hot Rod stepped out. He turned to look at Optimus questioningly.

"You go on ahead. I'll be there in a moment."

Hot Rod paused for a moment, then nodded. "Optimus… I just wanted to say… uh…"

Optimus nodded, and Hot Rod smiled. He transformed and headed off in the direction of the training center. As the Autobot leader turned back to the mausoleum, he heard Hot Rod's revving engine fading into the distance. He walked into the mausoleum and stood before his old friends.

"Thank you."

He left the mausoleum, and the door closed behind him. Optimus hesitated in front of the building, and he walked over to the control panel of the door. After pushing a combination of buttons, the doors flew open, this time staying open as he walked away. Optimus gave a satisfied nod and transformed, following his eventual successor to the training center.

And Ironhide smiled.

So did Prowl.

Even Ratchet managed a smile.

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The End.

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(A/N: It felt a little bit wrong to have a story about Optimus' feelings concerning his return without dealing with the other deceased 'Bots. And the reason that I didn't include the other Autobots that died (such as Huffer, Brawn, Wheeljack and Windcharger) was because Optimus seemed to have the closest relationship with Ironhide, Prowl and Ratchet:

Ironhide: Because he considered himself Optimus' unofficial bodyguard (and he hung around with him all the time as a result in the show).

Prowl: Because he was the second in command, and it would only be natural for him and Prime to have a Picard/Riker relationship as a side effect.

Ratchet: For the obligatory Kirk/Bones dynamic. Seriously, there's not much better.

Forgive the Star Trek references, but they're the best analogies I can think of.

In case you haven't seen _'Rebirth', _there was a whole slew of new characters introduced, so I thought that I'd try my hand at explaining where they came from. Also, the 'Plasma Energy Chamber' that Galvatron mentions to Cyclonus here is the plot device that moves the whole story along.

In addition, at the beginning of said three part episode, Optimus tells Ultra Magnus that he's had an overwhelming feeling that 'something big' is going to happen, so I thought I'd add some of that stuff here. The black and white Autobot in Optimus' little day dream is Cerebros, one of the central Autobots in the trilogy, along with Spike, who combine to become a Headmaster, and then proceed to do said big thing that Optimus was talking about.

I'd just like to thank you all for your reviews and for reading this damn thing.

And thanks for the suggestions for fat Transformers, Tiamat1972 and Brain Damage 101.

With that said… Cosmos and the Sharkticons are singing a duet, folks.

Don't forget to review this chapter as well.)


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